The Torn
by ShatteredAwe
Summary: 20 years after the end of Shippuden, Suna and Konoha are at war. As a circumstance of their past relations, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru and Naruto find their lives torn by it. And as the war draws to a close, everything they are, and once were, will be tested. ShikaTema focus. Very dark, but hopeful as well. Major Character Death(s). Multiple Pairings. Will rewrite once done.
1. Decisions

_Once upon a time, when I was a little girl, I wrote Naruto Fan fiction. I never finished, and I started back when Naruto wasn't finished itself. And now that Naruto's finished, I want to go back over it and rewrite the series I was writing. This technically is an Alternative Universe from Naruto, since the effects of the time skip at the very end (Chapter 700) are going to be altered a lot to allow for my drama to happen. You'll see._

_And the main stream of time that this fanfiction follows will take place 20 years after the 4__th__ Shinobi War ended. So let's start._

_I don't own any of the characters, of course. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto._

_Story starts around ten years after the 4__th__ Shinobi War ended, so basically everyone's in their mid-twenties, with Temari being 30._

_Now let's begin. Please remember to R and R. I really need feedback so that I can improve._

_Oh, one last thing._

_The early parts of this story are going to be centered on Shikamaru and Temari. After a few chapters of establishment, the following characters will have their own perspective chapters:_

_Shikadai Nara, Kankuro, Gaara, and Naruto Uzumaki_

_And more. I'm not done writing the story yet, nor am I done the planning. So far, you can expect a little bit of everything in this story, I suppose. A lot of angst and tragedy, some fluff, some battle scenes (But I'm not too good at writing them), some sexual content. Either way, let's start._

_**Warning: **__This story is rated __**T for Teen for now, but the rating might increase to M later.**_ _I also do not plan on writing any explicit lemons. Sorry._

**Part One: Decisions**

_Ten Years after the 4__th__ Shinobi War…_

_Her hands gripped the letter, and her tears slowly began to flow down her cheeks. The door to the room that she was sitting in was closed, and she silently thanked God for that. Her eyes slowly allowed themselves to look at the final plea once again, and as she reread it, the droplets of water from her eyes began to flow even more freely._

"_I know what you have to choose. The fact that you have to choose, I know, is unfair. And I'm sorry, this is a really shitty way to prove to you my feelings. But I love you. I want to __**marry **__you. And because of that, I __**can't**__ kill you."_

_She took a deep breath, and then slowly placed the letter on the table in front of her. And with her tears falling down her face, she began to think over a decision that would, no matter her choice, change her life forever…_

_All the while, hearing pleads and arguing from the meeting room down the hall._

_Two and a half days later…._

Shikamaru Nara closed his eyes and leaned against a tree, before reaching into his Jonin jacket to take out another cigarette. His old one that he had been using was somewhere back in the way that he had come, probably putting itself out amongst the undergrowth of the trees. After inserting the cigarette into his mouth, he quickly took out the lighter he had always used, and then lit it. He closed the lighter, and then took a nice, long breath of the cigarette, before removing it from his mouth so that he could breathe. And as the small fire that he had set in front of him seemed to illuminate his face, he slowly lifted his head and looked across the clearing in front of him, silently hoping that the person he was meant to meet here would hurry up and appear.

He was right on time. This was unusual, because for most things, he wouldn't care about being early, let alone on time. He also wouldn't be having any of the worries that he was having now. He wouldn't be running a thousand and one worst-case scenario plans though his head, he wouldn't be standing out in the open like this and he wouldn't be stressing out at all. And yet he was. Smoking against a tree, with a fire in front of him, likely wasting his time, likely leaving himself wide open for an attack, and definitely allowing the nature of his circumstances get to him.

He took another drag. It was late. The sun was gone from the sky, and the only reason why he had been able to find the clearing of the rendezvous he was meant to be having was because of his memory. Muscle Memory. He wasn't quite sure, but it didn't matter. What did matter was that he was here now, and that with each passing moment that he waited for the woman he was going to meet, he began to worry more and more.

This was even more unusual. This... sad condition that he was undergoing. Usually, nothing really bothered him. Same cool, cold demeanor every time. He would suffer from irritation, yes, but nothing this bad. But, as he took yet another draw out of the cigarette, he slowly remembered the few other times when he had underwent this affliction. After the Chuunin Exams, when most of his friends could've died and he was left having to watch them. When Asuma died, and once again he was left just having to deal with the consequences that this brought him. When his own father had died, and once again he was just left there having to deal with it. And now it was very possible that he would have to deal with the fact that he person he was meant to meet was in fact not coming, and then he would have to deal with the consequences that that event would also bring.

And like all of the times he had felt like this before, the outcome would likely affect him the most. And the outcome would likely affect his emotions. And he didn't want to cry ever again.

The cigarette eventually went out, and he threw the remains to the grass below him. He reached into his jacket again, and took out another, then placed it into his mouth and lit it. He took another drag, and then sighed, sitting down against the tree. He was on time. She, clearly was not.

At least that's what he thought until he heard a rustle in the bushes in front of him.

He immediately went to his feet, and spat the cigarette that he was attempting to finish out in front of him. The other side of the clearing was a ways away from him, but the other side of the clearing was still close enough for someone to use some form of jutsu to immobilize him. Or throw a kunai. Or attack him successfully, and get away with it if he wasn't careful. But despite this knowledge, standing up was all he could do. He was still close enough to the fire in the middle of the clearing for the flames to illuminate his face, and the only other thing that he would do to defend himself was pull out one of his kunai, and put his hands in front of him. Strategies for a worst-case scenario ran around in his head, before the bushes in front of him rustled again, and a cruel, but familiar laughter came from the other side of the clearing...

"Come on... who else did you think it was, Nara?"

Shikamaru's body relaxed, before he took a deep sigh.

_Temari._

And out of the bushes she appeared. The one he had been waiting for. The sole reason why he had travelled for a day and a half away from Konohagakure for. Reason why he had put himself in the open. And at this moment, her presence was the best thing in the world.

She hadn't brought much with her. Her signature fan on her back, and a small bag that hung over her back in front of her fan, which didn't seem to be holding much. His eyes glanced over her, but he saw no other weapons on her. Her hair was in her normal quad-ponytails, she was wearing a Jonin vest and some pants, but other than that there wasn't anything on her that he could have been possibly worried about. It was... Temari. That's all that was to her.

She looked around him to see if anyone else was with him. There wasn't. Shikamaru had made sure that he hadn't been followed here. Meanwhile, Shikamaru looked at her surroundings. Like with himself, there seemed to be no one with her.

Temari eyed Shikamaru, and then took a deep breath, before walking across the clearing, before she found herself standing in front of the fire that Shikamaru had set up a short while earlier. Shikamaru, wordlessly and thoughtlessly, joined her in this act, before sitting himself down on his side of the fire. Temari said nothing else and sat on her side as well.

And then... everything stopped for a few minutes. The two simply just sat at the fire, either spending time looking at each other, looking into the flames, or looking at each other's respective sides. Whatever either of them wanted to say had been lost for a while, while the both of them reviewed the circumstances that they both were under.

As well, what it meant that both of them were meeting here, at this time, all alone.

As per usual, Temari was the first one to speak. She looked up from the flames, and then looked directly at Shikamaru's face. He eventually felt her stare, and looked up himself. She took another breath, before looking directly into his eyes. Shikamaru met her gaze.

"... A note's a shitty way to propose, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru exhaled, and then answered. His voice was tired.

"Well... it was the only way I could talk to you again without having to go to Sunagakure again myself. And there's a restriction in travelling there. And... Well. I didn't think of any other way it would get to you in time."

"The mail was slow. I mean, you did factor in the fact that, since Sunagakure was in fact restricted, your message took longer to get than you probably expected."

"Oh. I hadn't-"

"Thought about that? Well, doesn't matter. All I know is that by the time I got it, I had about a day to make my decision, since the place you wanted to meet was so far from Suna."

"Well... what did you choose?"

Temari rolled her eyes slowly, before closing her eyes. The conversation was dropped for a few more minutes, before Temari spoke up again. During the few moments, Shikamaru felt that now familiar feeling of worry creep across his mind once again, and began to slowly tap his finger against his knee.

There was about a Twenty percent chance that she would've came to the rendezvous outlined on his letter and said yes. There was a thirty percent chance that she would come to the rendezvous, trick him, and ambush or kill him. And there had been a fifty percent chance that either she would never meet with him, she would have never received his note, or that a week, two weeks, or three weeks later the two of them would be trying to kill each other in the middle of some war that nobody wanted.

She had met with him, leaving a thirty percent chance that when she replied, she would attack, or a twenty percent chance that she would reply and say-

"...Well if I was going to refuse, I would've simply stayed at home. Or I would have attacked you already."

Shikamaru let out a rather loud and obvious sigh of relief, threw his head back and closed his eyes. Temari smirked at this reaction.

"I bet you had this all planned out in your head, didn't you? All of the probabilities, worst-case and best-case scenarios, chances of me saying this or that."

Shikamaru smirked back at her.

"Well, this is a reason why I had to make sure you were on our side."

And just like that, with that careless comment, and Temari was silent. Her smirk instantly disappeared from her face, and she looked down and away from Shikamaru for a few minutes. Shikamaru mentally slapped himself, he stopped tapping his finger on his knee, and he began to stand up to move closer to her.

But Temari didn't' see this. She didn't hear it either. She quickly became too engaged in her own thoughts. And in her own conscious.

What exactly was she even _doing _here?

Is this how easily her loyalty to her village was broken? Just because of one letter? Just because of one man? What exactly would happen next? Would she ever see her brothers again? Would she be forced to kill them? What exactly would she do in Konohagakure with Shikamaru? What did he really want with her? Maybe, maybe this entire thing was a trap, but in fact he was the one who was about to spring it-

She suddenly felt his arm wrap around her waist, and was pulled closer to him. She opened her eyes to see him sitting right next to her, and before she could make any more moves, he had her right beside him, in his protective grasp.

He sighed, and then struggled to figure out the words he should say. "That came out wrong... I... I know what you're going through."

"No, no you don't."

Temari attempted to get out of his grasp, but Shikamaru held on tighter. When she couldn't dissuade him physically, she attempted to do so verbally.

"No, you really _**don't**_ know what I'm going through. I'm... I was about... to leave my entire life behind just so I could be with you. I'm about to... I was about to... leave my family completely behind. I'm about to be _hopeless_ and _helpless_."

Then she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Exactly what are _you losing?"_

Shikamaru frowned. _Troublesome. Always got to make things hard._

"I guess you're right. No, I'm not really losing anything in this arrangement."

Shikamaru let go of her, but Temari didn't move away from him, waiting for him to finish.

"I get a wife, I get to _expand _my family, I get to push my life forwards. I'm about to be _happy_ and _stable_."

Temari sighed, but Shikamaru quickly continued.

"But... the difference is, if we just called this entire thing off, _I would be the one losing, _while you technically wouldn't gain or lose anything. If you decided to turn back and go back to Sunagakure, I might have to potentially kill you one day. If you went back t- ugh forget this. Enough with this romantic crap."

Shikamaru pulled Temari closer to himself once again, but this time she ended up right in front of him, sitting somewhat awkwardly on his lap. The entire order of things was weird, but Shikamaru didn't really care much. He had something on his chest, and he wanted to make sure she wasn't going to move away for it.

"Dammit woman, I _love _you, ok? Are you happy to hear me say it in person _again? _After all of the millions of times I've repeated the same phrase? If you go back to Sunagakure right now then I don't really know what I'll do with my life at _all. _I'll probably participate in the war, do my duty, blah blah blah until I find out that you're _dead. And then what's going to happen? _I'm going to sputter around, feel sorry for myself, and maybe cry like a baby, like I did for everyone else in my life who's died so far. And with your death it's going to be even _worse. _Because you're more _special_ to me than anyone who's ever died yet. So, that's it. I don't even know what the hell I'll do once I find out you're dead. Or even earlier than that, when I realize that I can't do what I want with you. No not like that, no exactly like that. I actually love you, and I want you for my own. And if you just turn back then I don't know what the hell's going to happen to me. So-"

"I get it."

Shikamaru paused after he was cut off, and then furrowed his brows.

"What?"

"I get it. I... you know nothing that either of us can do is going to make this any easier."

Shikamaru leaned back onto his hands, putting himself in a position to have Temari basically lie on his chest. He frown again, and then looked down.

"I know that."

And then, the silence came back. Idly, Shikamaru let himself run a hand through Temari's hair, being careful as to not undo the style at all. Temari didn't respond to this at all, she was thinking too much, and for that silence she was divorced from their scene, too busy trying to re-think, re-calculate and re-evaluate her actions and her choices.

And he was doing much of the same. The exact same.

Time passed. It was hard to tell exactly how late it was getting, but all they both knew was that Shikamaru's fire was going out, and now it was at the point where it was barely anything. Shikamaru had finally looked back at his chest to see that Temari had her eyes closed, but he wasn't sure if she was sleeping or not. He would have to wake her later, or at least the two would have to move soon, just a precaution to avoid detection.

_This was supposed to be quick_, he thought. But he hadn't thought of this, well he had, but he hadn't thought that this particularly troublesome variable was going to take up this much time and effort from the both of them. By now, they were supposed to be heading back to Konoha, not still trying to figure out if they were really going to do this or not.

He had hoped that she would have done the emotional part at home, but if she really only had one day to think everything through, then...

She was right. She was about to basically lose everything, just so she could be with one man.

He had thought so much about him potentially having to kill her in the future if she didn't come, but he had not thought about her having to potentially kill _her own brothers _at all.

Would the other villagers even accept her? Or would she be accused of being a spy?

Would she be alone? Did she have any other good friends in his village?

Would-

"How's the weather in Konohagakure yearlong?"

Shikamaru flinched slightly, before noticing that Temari's eyes were open again, and now pouring up at his own. That had been surprisingly unexpected, and the question was even odder.

"...Huh?"

Temari shrugged lightly. There was no hint to her true intention anywhere on her body.

"Is it humid? Does it snow? Does it rain a lot? Does it thunderstorm often?"

Shikamaru answered.

"It's more humid than... yes. It doesn't snow except for winter months. It rains basically once a week. It thunderstorms at least twice a month."

"It... doesn't sound like a bad place to live. Or a bad place to grow up, either."

Temari slowly smiled, but it was obvious that it wasn't a truly happy one. Shikamaru's face began to slowly express his confusion.

"Well, it wasn't for me. And exactly what are you attempting to get at? What the hell are you actually asking me-?"

"It sounds like I wouldn't mind living in Konohagakure at all, is what I'm saying."

"No, what are you actually saying? You know I don't speak whatever lingo you're trying to use."

Temari ended up slapping Shikamaru's chest suddenly. Shikamaru could feel it through his armour, and grit his teeth. Temari's fake smile slowly turned into a genuine one once Nara brought a hand to rub the area.

"You... haven't figured it out yet?" She said slowly. Shikamaru looked into her eyes slowly, and then unclenched his teeth.

This was supposed to be the most ideal result, but throughout the extended rendezvous it had become more and more of a fantasy. And more and more unrealistic. And more and more distant. He slowly manoeuvred himself so that he was sitting up straight and tall, and then...

"... You're really going to come with me?" His voice was one of disbelief.

Temari closed her eyes, before taking a deep breath.

"... Yes."

"And that's an actual yes?"

"Yes."

"And what was that back there then?"

"I was trying to be romantic."

Shikamaru smirked, and then took a deep breath. "Well you suck at it. I mean, I do too. It's -"

"Troublesome?"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. Very." He removed his hands from her hair, and then slowly let his eyes drift to his "fire". It was gone at this point. There wasn't much of a way to tell how much time had passed. And... there were going to be more pressing things that would happen soon. Neither of them were close to each other's villages, and there was always a threat somewhere. He looked up, and around, before turning towards her again.

"Do you know if you were followed?" He asked. Temari frowned.

"Do you really think I'd let someone follow me here?"

"No."

"Then I didn't. How about you... are you alone?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Like you, I didn't let anyone come."

"Really? Not even your friends?"

He messed up his face again.

"No. Too much of a risk, and I wanted to meet with you by myself. Anyways, we should get going. It's dark."

"Right."

Typical.

They both moved to stand up. Temari grasped the pack on her back, and then moved off of Shikamaru, while he dusted himself off and then stood up with her. Shikamaru went over to finish cleaning up the remains of the fire, while Temari found herself turning back to look the way she had come.

She couldn't help but reassure herself. Yes, this is what she was doing. She was going to leave the land she was born in, had grown up in, had bled and had killed for. She most likely wouldn't be able to return, she most likely wouldn't see anyone that she knew from there ever again. She would have to pretty much give up and dismantle her career as a Ninja, and probably be forced to be something domestic. She wouldn't be able to see her brothers, most likely ever again. Hell, she barely had had any time to think about how her decision would affect _them. _They would miss her _badly. _Would her disappearance cause even more resentment towards the leaf? Would they lose it? Would they try to go and find her?

Her face slowly transformed to reflect her emotions, and reflect the stress of what she was going through. She knew that she would miss them too. Miss the way they would mess with each other. Miss the way Kankuro and her looked over Gaara. Miss the way the three of them would sometimes bar-hop after work, getting drunk out of their minds to take their thoughts off of whatever they had done at work during the day. Her attempting to cook and Gaara suddenly becoming a professional critic. Practising jutsu with each other. Sharing and swapping stories of their missions on the times they had been apart. Sharing grief when the harmful times of year came around. The teasing and friendly rivalries that the three would randomly make with each other...

Shikamaru noticed her hesitation, and turned his head. "Temari, we have to go."

Temari was ejected from her thoughts, and then turned around in Shikamaru's direction. _Right._

She... was going to lose a lot. But, she was about to gain as well.

The lazy yet brilliant genius of Konoha. She would become his wife, and then be let into his clan. His village was familiar, but there was still much to explore and find out about. Every time she had visited the residents had been friendly, so it would be weird for everyone to just do a complete 180. She would probably eventually find something to keep her busy throughout the day, from basic homemaking duties to clan-tending, perhaps even helping Shikamaru with some of his work. She could meet new friends, she supposed, as well as get to know old ones better. And like he had said earlier, Konoha wasn't a bad place to live at all.

Her face slowly allowed an unsure, yet proud smile. She would miss them, but she would love Shikamaru more. Love the times the two had long walks together, talking about basically whatever came to mind. Loved the times he would completely surprise her, asking her out for a dance or a drink while she was in the middle of one of her many mood swings. The times when he would invite her to watch the clouds with him, with neither party really minding the other's presence. His overall gentlemanly aura, well, at least when he felt like putting it on, and the compassionate, great leader under his lazy and unmotivated guise.

And... He wanted to stop this. Maybe... maybe he could help her end the war quickly. Maybe... then she wouldn't have to lose anything, really. And neither would he.

Temari took another deep breath. This was it. She took a step towards Shikamaru, and continued to walk towards him until the two were standing side by side.

"Lead the way," Temari said. "I don't know the way back to your village, after all."

He nodded, but before he could jump ahead, he allowed a few words to flow from his mouth, taking into consideration the time they had spent earlier.

"...Don't worry, Tem. It's going to be worth it. You'll see."

Temari felt a prang in her chest as Shikamaru jumped off in front of her. Then, she exhaled, and flashed forwards after him.


	2. News

"Two bowls of ramen, please."

"That's it? Neither of you two want anything special?"

"Naa. That's it."

"Coming right up!"

Temari sat back on the stool that she was sitting on, and then smirked at her partner for the "date".

"I'm never going to forget how you proposed to me via a letter, by the way," she sneered, allowing some more of the sake that they were drinking to enter her already slightly overflowing cup. After topping herself up, she threw more of the liquid down her throat, and then slowly leaned forwards on the counter.

Shikamaru cringed.

"Ugh, you're going to cause me to have to buy another bottle," he said. He took another swig of his cup, and afterwards filled it up again halfway. "I'm not rich, you know. And does it really matter? You have a damn ring."

With that, he sat back on his stool, almost falling over before Temari slightly pushed him forwards, and soon he was leaning on the counter in front of the both of them as well.

And there they were. At Ichiraku Ramen, in the middle of the evening, both of them almost drunk, together, drinking and eating the rest of the day away.

It had been three days since their rendezvous. It had taken them a day and a half to return to Konohagakure, and therefore the two had been in the village for a day and a half. The moment he returned to the village, Shikamaru had pulled out a ring and had proposed to her (using mostly different vows than the ones he had given to her on the letter addressed to her, which Temari complimented him on), and Temari nearly interrupted him in saying "yes.". The rest of the day and a half had been a mix of many things, mainly planning, some sex, and the Nara Head working while Temari had gotten used to her surroundings.

Aside from Naruto, no one really knew that Shikamaru was back in town. And nobody really knew about his status with Temari, aside from the tenders at the restaurant they were at, of course. Eventually, everyone would know.

Temari smirked at Shikamaru, and decided to stop lecturing him for once, before pouring a bit more sake into her bottle. So far her stay in Konohagakure had been comfortable enough, but she had only been there for a little more than a day, and even back when she was an ambassador she had stayed for longer. One of her worries, his family not accepting her, was dealt with by Shikamaru, before she could even respond to it, (and of course Yoshino Nara was very happy that her son was settling down), and Konohagakure had proved big enough to not be explored by her in one day, but still, no one really knew that she was there. None of Shikamaru's friends knew, the Hokage didn't know, none of her brothers kne-

And of course as her mind drifted back to that thought, she suddenly felt the need to drown herself in more sake.

But before she could reach back for the liquor, one of the tenders had returned with their ramen. Shikamaru quickly paid the man, and ordered another bottle of sake. He then began some idle chatter with the man (simple stuff, where was Ichiraku and his daughter?, the worrying rise of the price of ramen in the village since the village had been declared "restricted except for local travel within the Land of Fire"), while Temari shut her eyes tight, and shook her head slowly.

_I'm not going to think about this shit today._

By the time she looked up again, Shikamaru had finished his conversation, and was refilling the both of their glasses. Afterwards, he lifted his cup.

"Toast?" He asked. Temari rolled her eyes, returning to the present day.

"We already did."

"This time I want to toast to something different."

Temari raised her glass.

"To..."

"To a short day at work-"

"You already said that-"

"And you choosing me."

Shikamaru threw the liquid back into his head, while Temari sat there dumbfounded. He... was full of surprises, it seemed. Either that or this was the drink talking. Either way that had been unexpected. Temari drank anyways, but paid attention to when Shikamaru lowered the cup from his mouth, and then picked up his chopsticks to begin to eat his food.

"I can tell when you're thinking about _them, _by the way."

Temari froze, and then began to blush.

"What?"

"Your right brow goes up a bit, and your mouth slightly downturns, and you twitch your left thumb."

"What the hell?"

Shikamaru finished a bit more of his food, before placing the bowl back onto the counter, and facing her, leaning slightly on the counter beside her.

"It's just some stuff that I've noticed. I mean, you've been thinking about them at random intervals since you came with me."

Temari's face turned quizzical, but on the inside she knew it was true. Shikamaru studied her face, sighed and continued.

"Nevermind. Just... try not to think about them too much. It's not anything personal, it's just I don't want you feeling upset all of the time."

He then reached for his bowl of ramen, and began to eat more of it. Temari sucked in her lips, and then exhaled.

"I guess this is when couples just... demand shit out of each other? Like... before the marriage?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "That, or we negotiate. I'm not ordering you to stop, I'm just thinking about your feelings."

Temari finally realised that she hadn't touched her ramen since it had arrived. She moved to do so, taking a bit into her mouth, before swallowing and answering him.

"Well, that's an unfair ask of me. I mean, they're my damn _brothers _of course I'm going to think about them. And now that we're in this situation, it's a sibling instinct to think about their wellbeing..."

As Temari went on, Shikamaru felt a vein pop in his head. _If for only once she could just agree..._

Temari eventually stopped, and then went into silence for a while, before finishing her take on the topic. In the meanwhile, the Nara Head had half-finished his bowl of food.

"How about we... make a deal or something? You said that we were negotiating, right? How about... I'll stop thinking obsessively about my brothers if... well... you don't end up getting their blood on your hands."

Shikamaru sat up. The request had him thinking about it, and he slowly returned his bowl to the counter that it had been sitting on in the first place. He asked questions, but he had already predicted the answers.

"...What the hell do you mean by that?"

Temari's face slowly turned into a glare. One of the predictions Shikamaru had was true. This wasn't the drink talking. She was being serious as fuck, and her voice reflected this.

"As in, one day don't come home to me with their headbands in your hands. What the hell else did you think I meant?"

Shikamaru grit his teeth. Knowing that she wanted a talk, he spoke as he finalized the strategies he could use to fulfill her request.

"If... this war does happen, you're well aware that your brothers are going to be pretty much the highest ranked Shinobi in your former village, right? You get that even if I'm not the one who ends up killing him, someone from another village or someone from my village could end up doing the deed, right? Not to mention that they're going to be walking security threats, and probably threaten other ninja from this village, ri-"

"And that's why I said don't _kill them_."

"I'll probably be a commander again, Temari. How the hell am I _not_ supposed to end up killing them without compromising my village? Or end up ordering a mission on their head-"

"No, I meant don't kill them _personally. _At the very least."

Shikamaru paused, and then narrowed his eyes. "You could've said that in the first place."

"I know."

"And maybe you should drop this descriptive bullshit. I understand you better when you're being blunt as fuck."

"You still haven't agreed or disagreed."

Shikamaru nodded, and then leaned back into his stool. His answer should've been immediate, but he couldn't exactly pin his finger on why he was hesitating. Was it because of his status? Perhaps. If the General of Konohagakure suddenly turned away from an opponent in the middle of the battle, he'd be questioned. What if Kankuro or Gaara attempted to harm someone on the battlefield that he cared about? What if he accidentally ended up doing it, in the rage of battle? What if he was told to order an assassination on one of them? Did that count?

As Shikamaru thought it through, Temari finished her ramen slowly, watching his moves. Just like her, he did certain things when he was about to agree with someone, or disagree with someone. When he was about to say yes, or when he was about to say no. As he watched his fingers come together into his "thinking" pose, she scanned his body for any sign on what he would decide upon. So far, there wasn't even a clue.

More scenarios went through Shikamaru's head. As per usual, he would distract her with conversation.

"You know, the war hasn't even been confirmed yet. This entire conversation could be useless in a while if it's revealed that we are-"

"_**Shikamaru Nara. What a fancy meeting you here!"**_

__Shikamaru cringed. _Great, it's Naruto. Along with all of his yelling._

And sure enough, there he was. As the two turned their heads around to see the voice, the image of Naruto Uzumaki's blonde haired and blue eyed head was seen just underneath the cover of the entrance of the shop. His eyes immediately focused on Shikamaru, as he finished entering the restaurant and quickly walked over to him.

"'Was looking for you all day! Where have you been? I mean-"

As he got closer to his old friend, Temari's also blonde hair came into his view, and Naruto stopped in his tracks.

"...Temari? ...What're you doing here?"

Temari furrowed her eyebrows, and Shikamaru exhaled through his nose. _Great, now to explain._

He hadn't seen Naruto all day, not even at work, and he was one of the many he hadn't found the time to tell about his arrangement with Temari. Mostly for the fear of having to do extra work, and all that extra explaining too...

Naruto soon realised that he was standing in front of them, and moved himself to sit on the seat next to Shikamaru. He smoothed out his jacket, while both Shikamaru and Temari began to think of ways to try and explain this to him. It was well known that Uzumaki was a loudmouth, so whatever they said about the two of them had to be the story they were going to use with everyone else.

Naruto, however, spoke before either of them could come up with anything to say. As per usual.

"So... I guess you two got together then..."

Shikamaru finished his ramen, while Temari answered him.

"Yes. That's it."

"Oh..."

Naruto sat back in his stool. The tender in front of him offered to take his order, but he simply waved him away. As Shikamaru finished his bowl, the tender came to take it away, while Nara noticed that Naruto was a bit... off from usual.

He wasn't wearing any orange, and instead was walking around in some sort of black and white get-up. Which was strange enough, but there was an actual, bonafide neutral look on his face, instead of the idiotic or insane grin that was usually on it. His body language was off as well, sitting up straight and walking slowly wasn't his thing at all. And finally, he hadn't even ordered anything. No ramen, and nothing to drink.

Either the effects of the sake was getting to him, or something was going on with Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto kept looking at Temari, before finally remembering what he wanted to say.

"...But if you're with him now... then you know that there's no going-"

"Yes. I know." Temari answered quickly. She didn't want to have to think about it again.

"No, I mean now there's really _no going back._"

"What are you even talking about?"

Naruto looked towards Shikamaru, before going back to Temari, before going back to Shikamaru. A guilty look took his face on, and he looked down.

"...I don't know. I don't know if I should tell you. It's... I don't know how to say this. Not when you're here. I mean..."

He looked towards Shikamaru.

"Can I talk with you for a sec? Just outside or something?"

Shikamaru looked confused, and shook his head.

"If you've got something to say, just say it now. I was in the middle of something with Temari."

Naruto's face took an even more sorrowful turn.

"Then maybe you should finish that, and I'll just tell you tomorrow or something."

Shikamaru shook his head again.

"Not after you've dropped so many hints on what this is about."

"Come on... I mean it's not exactly good news."

"I thought that, so just say it."

"I can't. Not in front of her."

"Why?"

"She's not going to take it well."

Temari snorted. "I'm right here, you know. Unless it's top secret news, just tell us."

Naruto continued to hesitate.

"... You two will read it in the paper tomorrow."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"What if we don't want to wait for it? Come on Uzumaki tell us what you know."

"It's... about Sunagakure, Shikamaru."

Temari's eyes widened while Shikamaru's narrowed. Shikamaru leaned off the counter, and his mind instantly raced to the worst-case scenario.

"...Temari, you might want to lea-"

"And who do you think I am, Shikamaru?" Temari snapped. Shikamaru felt another vein pop in his head. "I can take bad news."

"Yes but..."

"'Yes but' what?"

Shikamaru sighed. _Not even married and the bickering's already begun._

"Man's gotta take into consideration his woman's feelings. I don't want you-"

"Naruto, tell us."

Naruto bit his lip, and then looked towards Shikamaru for confirmation. When the Nara head nodded and then sighed, he knew that there wasn't a good chance that he would get out of the shop without telling the news he had received earlier. Him and his obviousness.

He took a deep breath.

"...Earlier today, the Hokage received a notification from the Fire Daimyo that we were at war. With... the Village Hidden in the Sand. With the Land of Wind. And that we were to be fully mobilized in two to three days, and fighting in three or four."

And at that, both Shikamaru and Temari froze. Completely.

It had been something the two of them had predicted would have happened, but the fact that it was _happening _now gave the both of them pause. Yep, it was going to happen. The two villages were at war.

Again. It seemed like the cycle would never end.

The silence in the shop continued on for a few more minutes. Naruto's face slowly drew into a frown, as he began to feel guilty about killing whatever vibe was in the area before. The tender went into the back, and wasn't seen again by any of the patrons present again. Shikamaru narrowed his eyebrows, and then carefully refilled both his and Temari's cups. Out of the entire evening, they would probably need a drink now more than ever. Temari, on the other hand, looked to the ground.

_I should've at least said goodbye..._

The very same feelings she had tried to repress earlier were coming back, and she was struggling to fight with them. But, she had least had alcohol. That would help her cope, that would help her forget. So she threw back more of the booze into her mouth and down her throat, and then brought her cup down onto the counter.

Shikamaru could hear his fiancé's movements from the back of his ears. The constant cycle of pour, drink, pour, drink, pouring, and drinking. He didn't even care about the cost anymore, and instead was just worried about her personal sanity and feelings. Waking up the night after with a heavy hangover wouldn't be an exactly good thing. Neither would drinking herself to sleep just so she could try to forget.

If it never worked for him, then it wouldn't in _hell _work for her.

He refocused on Naruto, who simply sucked in his lips.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you like thi-"

"Yeah, I got it."

The blonde slowly stepped out of his chair, and then turned towards the entrance to leave.

"I guess I'll just see you later."

"Yeah, see you Naruto."

As the blonde walked out of the shop, Shikamaru couldn't help but notice the slow rhythm to his step. He couldn't blame him at all, not at all whatsoever. Nara let out a sigh, and then turned back towards Temari.

By now the old bottle they had was completely empty, and the new bottle that he had ordered was half-finished. Not good. And she hadn't stopped at all. The same pattern of pour, drink, pour, drink, pouring, and drinking hadn't stopped at all, and if anything it had gotten faster. At this rate she was going to drink away her brain cells.

And especially now, she'd need them. Hell, he might need them.

So the next time Temari reached to refill her cup, Shikamaru reached for the hand that touched the bottle, and then gripped it. Soggily, his fiancé turned her head towards his, and looked up. Shikamaru looked into her eyes with serious intent. Temari looked into his with a red tint in them, barely being able to think straight.

But when the words came out of his mouth, she found herself being affected anyways, as if neither of them had ever drunk a glass that night.

"I won't kill them. It... I won't kill them personally. Not hand to hand. It... it will be someone else, if they end up dead. I... promise that."

Temari found herself falling forwards into his arms, and Shikamaru readily accepted her. Balancing her between the two stools that they were sitting on. Keeping her head on his shoulder, hugging her tightly. Making sure that she was at least ok. Even as she began to let a few tears fall down her cheeks. Even through her drunkenness. Even through his drunkenness.

She kept on trying to tell herself that his words couldn't have been the drink talking, but in the state her mind was in she couldn't think straight at all.

This entire war was going to add more and more bullshit to his life. But, at the very least now, he wouldn't have any bullshit in his home. And there wouldn't be any bullshit with her.


	3. The Beginning

The day after, the war started.

Well, not officially. As Naruto had reported, the Hokage simply had _declared war _on that day, but there were no major fights or attacks until those four days passed. Which was when some Sand Ninja found their way into a village on the outskirts of the Land of Fire, took control, and killed anyone who tried to oppose them.

It had become a worst-case scenario that quickly.

Any attempts to contact the Kazekage at all ended up failing. Any attempts to convince him to let up with the occupation weren't even answered. And so when the Hokage ordered a counter-attack, they showed the same lack of mercy that the Sand Ninja had shown the inhabitants of the village.

And then, at not even a week after the war started, everything had went insane.

The actions of the Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand, little sense. The man who had owed everything to the Leaf, the man who had previously considered the Leaf as allies and friends, was now ordering attacks and skirmishes against them. It was a hard thing to swallow amongst anyone who had known him before his actions in the war, but at the end of the day, it was war. At the end of the day, it was time to fight back, and not to just talk.

Shikamaru left a day earlier than the rest of the Ninja for the first skirmish, and ultimately Temari was left alone in Konohagakure by herself. Well, not completely alone. Yoshino Nara was there, the matriarch of the family and therefore the one she found herself talking the most to. While at first being a bit dismissive of her, there was no real proof that she wasn't some sort of spy, the two eventually found themselves bonding over shared hobbies and shared personalities, by which time any thought that Temari could have been a traitor eventually faded from the elder's mind.

Temari had... more of an issue convincing the _other _Nara Clan members that she meant them no harm, however. Even after she had proved that she had not been followed or tracked by her Sunagakure brethren, she was still under heavy scrutiny from them. Despite being the fiancé of their leader, she was at first outright forbidden to enter any clan meetings, and even after Yoshino caught wind of this and _forced _them to let her attend, she was mostly ignored. From day to day, the other members of the clan would simply ignore her, if they had to speak they would do so condescendingly and quickly, and would avoid her if they could. And while at first snapping and giving a tongue lashing to whomever subjected her to this, the future Nara eventually simply accepted her social isolation, and simply just assisted her mother-in-law with whatever she had trouble with, just reasoning that there was no point.

The war had just started, and it wasn't a big surprise that in the village neither of her brothers were very fondly viewed.

Two months passed before Shikamaru was allowed to come back from the front lines, along with a few new scars on his torso and the first "round" of front line fighters. Temari, as per usual, gave him hell for his injuries at first, but eventually took pity on him, making him his favourite food on the day he was able to come back, and taking extra care of him until his injuries no longer affected him enough for him to feel them every day. He began to speak to her immediately about the date for their wedding, emphasizing the urgency of them making it official before "anything happened", and then ended up actually _yelling _at the elders of his clan for treating Temari the way they had, upon which the micro-aggressions immediately stopped.For a period of a month he was given a lot of extra time to himself, which he used to officially marry Temari ("The planning was hell, but it was worth it, even if all I really liked was the dancing, the kissing, the cake, and the fact that I can just sleep now."), take her out to restaurants a few times ("You eat a lot. I think I should have asked in the vows for you not to do that. No offence, but I don't want you looking like Choji. There can be only one."), and most importantly, strategize ("He really did make me Commander. The Hokage I mean. So that's just more work for me, yay."). And when they weren't spending time together, eating, talking, playing shogi, or being intimate, Shikamaru would likely be outside watching the clouds, and Temari would likely be somewhere in town, either hanging out with the kunoichi she trusted enough to call "friend", or simply exploring the landscape.

That was one thing that she wouldn't give up. She hated the idea of sticking around the house and just being some sort of housewife, even if it was with and for the man she loved. Originally she just wanted to continue being a Kunoichi, but the war had thrown a wrench into whatever plans she had fantasized about while she was still living in Sunagakure, while she was still living in peace, and she slowly began to understand what she would be allowed to do, and what she wouldn't. And running around taking mission and getting herself in danger was one of the things she wouldn't be able to do anymore.

So, as she finished making the rounds for Yoshino one day, she simply decided that she would have to find things to do while she lived in the Hidden Leaf Village. And she quickly found out that one of those things could be exploring. The village was getting bigger each day, after all.

After his month of grace passed, Shikamaru found himself regularly at the 6th Hokage's side during war councils and general advising, which made him absent from the home, but at the same time still there. Even with all of the things that Temari had thought of doing in his absence, it still took a long while for her to get used to the routine. In the morning, Shikamaru would wake up beside her around 6:30am, and then be out of the house by 7:30am. She would be up by 6:45, and his breakfast would be made by 7:00. After he left at 7:30, she would likely make the rounds around her household, first making sure that simple personal things were done, such as the fridge being stocked and the Shogi board being clean (A weird thing that Shikamaru was particular about), and then she would check up with clan politics and make sure that everything was still operating the way it should. After that, she would likely go and see what else she could do. Either explore Konohagakure, keep up on the war, see if any of her friends were available, or , if there was nothing to do, simply stay at home and try to enjoy the pleasures of having so much free time. By 5pm she would begin cooking, by 5:30pm dinner would be ready, and usually by 5:45pm Shikamaru would find himself stumbling through the front door, usually tired and slightly annoyed from the day at work. They would eat, she would bicker at him to at least do his dishes since she had made the food, and then the rest of the day would be talking, sometimes fighting over trivial things, playing games together, and usually by 10 or 11pm the two would be attempting to get some sleep.

And as the months passed, the two of them realised that they were _allowed _to do that. Or rather, Shikamaru finally got confused to as why no one, other than his own clan, seemed to care that there was an ex-Sand Kunoichi simply living inside Konohagakure. When Shikamaru asked any of his friends and or comrades, there didn't seem to be much of a conversation. "She's with you, right? We can trust you," seemed to be the only thing anyone would tell him. None of the kunoichi that Temari sometimes hung out with seemed to mind either. And, in the 3rd month of their marriage and the 6th month of war, he got his answer from the Hokage himself.

"Well, she's not compromising anything, is she?" Kakashi had mused. "Something tells me that you wouldn't allow her to, no? And since you're loyal to the village and she's not doing anything wrong…"

And thus, at least in a little bit, life was perfect for the two of them for a while. No real social consequence of being together, with Temari slowly getting used to her restrictions and her new village, and Shikamaru rather enjoying their arrangement and loving having her with him. But, about a year after the war had started, Shikamaru found himself in direct command again, away from the village, away from Temari, and into the fray of battle directly again. Which was when whatever euphoric feeling the two had while at home faded back into reality, as Temari found herself now playing the role of the mostly helpless wife, waiting for her husband to come back from war.

Their life was perfect, or rather as perfect as possible, for them... except for the war.

One of the first things Shikamaru found out quickly after the first year of fighting was that Sand Ninja were tough bastards. Asking Temari about it gave him a long explanation that he would tune out of, and eventually he just understood that it was probably just because of the nature of their village. After all, there was very little water in the Desert, and so whoever was a survivor must have been able to get some of that water somehow. And as Shikamaru found that most, if not all of his nights, on the front lines were comprised of assisting Sakura in the infirmary, trying to figure out new antidotes to poisons which came from plants he hadn't even _heard _of, only to, for the most part, fail and end up having to inform another family that their father, mother, son, daughter, wife, or husband wasn't going to make it, he found himself believing this saying almost religiously. It was something he should've believed in the first war, and as the casualties on the leaf side piled up, he found himself frustrated about this truth, and struggling to find ways to counteract it. Eventually, a pattern was established. They would discover a new property of a poison, and months after, usually way after a patient was already dead, they'd discover the plant that was responsible for the new property. And then weeks after doing that, they'd finally make an antidote. They'd make it and give it to the few ninja who had managed to survive that long, only for whoever the hell was making the poisons to change the properties a bit, making their solution to the problem null, and forcing them to restart the process.

And that was just the medical side of things. Shikamaru was also involved, and even more so involved, in tactics.

The difference between providing tactics for a small group of ninja and providing tactics for a huge army was huge, and Shikamaru quickly found himself struggling at first to properly deal with it. Whoever the hell the Village Hidden in the Sand had countering his strategies was skilled indeed, whoever was doing it was no Nara, but she (it took them a while to find out the Sand Commander's identity) could have passed for some outer branch member. If Shikamaru said yes, she would say no. If Shikamaru told a group of ninja to go to a canyon, she almost always was able to anticipate this, and carve up an ambush for him. If Shikamaru sent ninja into hiding as spies, she would also conveniently do the same. At this at least, her counter was easily discovered, but for the others, the consequence of Shikamaru failing usually resulted in people getting injured, captured, or, more often, killed.

Eventually, as the months of the second year of war passed into the third year, Shikamaru began to sharpen his skills, and things began to slowly become less unfair to the Hidden Leaf Village. He, in the second year, was allowed back from the front lines every three months for one month back in the village, and eventually in the third year of the war, those intervals of three months turned into a pattern of one month being away and one month being at home. The routine that he and Temari had begun continued during those times, except with some altercations at times. Sometimes Shikamaru would come home late, and instead of eating right away he would slowly make his way into their bedroom and let himself fall onto the bed they shared, not being able to roll over. At this, Temari would simply move him into a position where he could actually breathe, and slowly begin to massage his back, eventually turning him over and then sitting him up, leaving him alone only to return to begin to feed him the food she knew he needed. Sometimes, Shikamaru would come home late, and barely be able to even get up the steps to their house, and his wife would quickly see that her lovely husband had forgotten to check into the infirmary on his way back home. At this, Temari would slowly guide him to their kitchen, where she would do her best to personally dress his wounds, then slowly guide him to the dinner that, once again, she knew he needed. Sometimes, Shikamaru's wounds would be psychological instead of physical, and he would stumble into their home and simply sit down at the table where his food was, and seem to stare off into space, his mind completely separated from the present, and instead being drowned in thoughts exactly what he was _doing _as the commander of the Leaf Shinobi. At this, Temari would slowly pull up a chair beside him, quietly so she wouldn't startle him, and place her hands on his back, slowly running her hands over the old scars and bruises he had through his uniform, and whisper words of encouragement into his ear.

"Come on. You did what you had to do. Don't spend too much thinking about it, and if you messed up today, just keep on walking into tomorrow."

All of the things she did for him during the days there were altercations in their daily routine worked like clockwork. Usually, after a while of speaking, her soft touches, or her care, he would open up to her, allowing her to peer into his mind, and into the realities of the war they were fighting in. It all ended up the same. Shikamaru in their bed again, sleeping off his responsibilities, and Temari curled up beside him, trying to come to grips with the realities of what he was doing.

Usually she gave the thought no idea and no pause. But, even as she reassured him, and told him to go on continuing with his work, on the inside of her mind, she couldn't help to remember that she, in fact, was sharing the bed with a man who was doing so much to harm her former village. And her brothers.

But she never let these sentiments out of her mind and into her mouth, for her belief that in the end, Shikamaru would also be the one to really save them.

And more and more days passed. More and more months passed. The same routine. The same pattern of Shikamaru being off at war, and Temari being stuck at home, idly making herself busy waiting for him to return, and for the war to end. The same pattern of Shikamaru sometimes coming home broken and scarred in more than one simple way, and Temari healing him through words or through her hands. The same pattern of Temari going to bed each night wishing that things could be different. Wishing that she didn't have to have made that choice those two years ago, to leave her old life behind to join Shikamaru. Wishing that she could still be a Kunoichi. Wishing that she wasn't lying next to a husband who, while working towards saving both of their peoples, was responsible for so much pain in her own village.

And the only thing that broke the monotonous pattern was the day that Temari told Shikamaru that she was pregnant.

It was the third year of their marriage, and the third year of the war. Shikamaru had taken her out to some restaurant for their anniversary, and Temari had been acting strangely. She hadn't been drinking any of the sake he had ordered, she was eating a lot, and she had been overall more moody lately. She was spending a lot of her free time with her girlfriends, but in specifically Ino and Sakura, who were _medical nin. _Unless Temari was planning on putting herself on the front lines again, nothing made sense in Shikamaru's normally logical mind.

Until she took his hand, that snowy evening in March, and revealed that she had been with child for the past two months.

There was no question of who the father was. Of course not, the two were completely devoted to each other. There was no question of what needed to be done for the baby to be delivered and born correctly and safely. Temari had been talking to the medical nin after all. There was no question of what foods Temari needed to consume, what Shikamaru needed to do to keep her calm…

But, there was one more thing that she found herself requesting him. Something out of the ordinary, except for families of Shinobi…

"…Don't die, Shikamaru Nara. I'm going to need you here, and the baby's going to need you here. Do… do whatever you have to do to survive and come back to us, understand? But… I don't need to tell you this, do I? I know you'll make it back. But just… be careful."

Shikamaru had nodded instantly at that, and then let his lips feel one of the hands that Temari was using to hold his.

And another slight altercation was caused. Shikamaru began to be a bit more careful on the battlefield, and Temari had begun to be a bit more careful in the Village. Shikamaru would avoid potentially fatal fights, and Temari would make sure that she was eating correctly. Shikamaru would make sure that he got home on time, usually just to spend more time looking after Temari, and Temari wouldn't complain about him potentially slacking off from his duties.

The stress of bringing a new life into the world also began to take its toll on the both of them. Shikamaru found himself stressing out over the fact that, in a few months, he would be a father. Meanwhile, Temari found herself stressing out over the fact that, in a few months, she would be a mother.

However, there was no time for either of that in the war that they were fighting. Something that Shikamaru found out abruptly, when his thoughts of fatherhood was interrupted when….


	4. Encounter

He found himself suddenly having to dodge out of the way of an attack that would have killed him, in the middle of another battlefield.

Another damn battlefield.

It was now seven months since the day that Temari had told him about her pregnancy, and as was his rotation, Shikamaru was back in the field. This was going to be the same month that she was due to give birth, and from the first second that he had been sent out, it was obvious that Shikamaru didn't really want to be out fighting in the war, especially now. However, fate seemed to be quite livid with him as it were, the Hokage had insisted that the front _needed him_, and here he was.

Being ambushed in the middle of the desert.

The sun had beat down on them like some oppressive dictator. Its position in the sky reminded him that it was still only the afternoon, and that there was plenty more that he was supposed to do this day. Get into the outpost. Locate the Leaf Shinobi that had been captured. Then rescues him if possible, but if not, at least confirm the captured Shinobi's existence and location. It was supposed to be simple.

But it wasn't.

As he dusted himself off from the attack, he lifted his head to look over the sand-cloud that was now in the area where he had dodged from. Assuming that the other two he had been travelling with were still alive, they would have been on the other side of it. However, he had not been allowed much time to muse on this, as whatever was in the dust cloud seemed to jump out of it, and head straight towards Shikamaru.

He stumbled across the sand, cursing his weakness of walking on sand, and began to run up the sand-dune beside him, not spending any time looking at what was chasing him. Upon reaching the top of the dune, he was able to turn around to see what had been trying to attack him. The object had stopped, and he quickly studied it.

There were blue chakra strings attached to its back, and their origin was leading to the other side of the cloud of sand. And the item itself was some sort of… puppet. A puppet whose form he remembered faintly…

And then the cloud that held the source of the strings for the puppet began to disperse, and Shikamaru saw a tall, hulking form standing within it.

"Nostalgic, isn't it? I bet you haven't seen this for, what, fifteen years?"

Shikamaru cringed, and as the sand cleared, he could see Kankuro standing where the rest of his group should have been.

Should. Have. Been.

Shikamaru tried to look behind the puppet master, only to see that his prediction of the rest of his teammates having jumped to the other side of the attack was in fact, wrong. Meaning that it was possible that they were somewhere in the ditch that the impact of Kankuro's puppet had created. Meaning that they had taken that hit head on.

Kankuro instantly noticed how Shikamaru was basically ignoring him, and then spoke again, this time flinching one of his hands, so that his puppet also stood up, aimed at Shikamaru and ready to attack him.

"Ignoring me, are you? That's not a good idea. Don't piss me off, Nara."

Shikamaru quickly looked around the area where he was likely about to be fighting, and then turned himself back to looking at Kankuro. He then silently noted that he was standing on higher ground than the Sand Ninja.

"I wasn't ignoring you."

As Kankuro replied to this, Shikamaru silently noted his face. He hadn't changed the design since the last time the two had fought during the war at all, and unlike last time the two had spoken as neutral parties, there seemed to be some sort of facial hair attempting to grow on the sides of his face. He still wore the same hood that he had from before the war had started, he still ran around in his full black attire, and in reality, the only thing that had truly changed about him was the design on his face, the fact that he seemed quite a bit taller now (at what seemed, from Shikamaru's position, to be 5'9), and, of course, the side of the war he was on.

Along with the deep, almost foreign scowl that was dominant upon his face, and his agitated eyebrows.

"You think I don't see what you're doing? Surveying the battlefield, trying to find your allies, sizing me up?"

His temper seemed to be the same. His voice was much more mature now, however. Shikamaru shrugged in response to him.

"You're pissed about something," Shikamaru observed out loud. He also hoped that perhaps his voice would convince the other ninja who had been with him to come out. He didn't want to fight Kankuro all by himself, and there was a good chance that he had brought others with him. It made no sense that a Kage guard would travel alone.

"'Course I'm pissed. We're in the middle of a war. _Another, _fucking war. Were you expecting me to be smiling?"

"No."

Kankuro flinched his hands again, and his puppet, Crow, moved again, this time opening up some of his compartments, revealing that something else had changed. There was a considerably greater amount of blades, darts and other projectiles on this puppet, and they each seemed to gleam at Shikamaru.

Reminding him that he was getting a bit too close to his own death.

Shikamaru took out a kunai just in case, and then quickly began to strategize within his head. The moment he paused to think, Kankuro launched his puppet towards Shikamaru. He saw this attack coming, and then dodged to the side, losing his footing and falling off the sand dune. Shikamaru quickly got up, but Kankuro was almost as fast, if not faster than him at his reflexes, and sent his Puppet towards him again. The Nara clan head ran out of the way, while the puppet master sent his puppet after him. As Shikamaru began to panic, he placed his hands together, and tried to begin to use his jutsu, sending his shadow towards Kankuro.

The older man saw this immediately, and then opened a compartment on Crow, firing a few darts towards Shikamaru. He stopped his attempt at using his signature jutsu and began to dodge the volley of darts, before suddenly crying out.

One of the darts had grazed his right shoulder.

He immediately moved away from Kankuro's puppet, only for Crow to follow him. Shikamaru began to run up another sand dune, and Kankuro began to follow him, trying to keep track of his prey. Shikamaru then reached the top of the dune and ran down it, turning his head over his shoulder to try and see his other teammates. If they hadn't gotten up by now, it was likely that they were unconscious somewhere, and that later he would have to find them. Meaning that now he would be forced to fight Kankuro by himself.

Kankuro's puppet appeared over the dune and followed him down it. Shikamaru continued to run away, before suddenly feeling a burning feeling grasp his right arm. He briefly turned to look at the cause of his sudden pain, before hearing more darts fly towards him.

Shikamaru rolled out of the way of this. He growled. To win this fight, he would have to get Kankuro in his Shadow Possession Jutsu, but he couldn't do so while he was running for his life against one of his puppets, and while he could feel a burning sensation within one of his arms.

Eventually, Shikamaru saw Kankuro himself appear over the sand dune. He grit his teeth, and then brought his hands together, summoning his shadow…

Before he had to recoil instantly, grabbing onto his right arm. A sudden pain was causing him to feel intense pain in the area. He heard some more darts launch, and then he felt a few of them enter his other arm. When Shikamaru moved to take those darts out, he felt a sudden attack to his gut, and found himself being thrown back into the side of a dune, landing into a wall of sand.

It didn't take a genius to find out that the fight was over, and that quickly.

Shikamaru opened his eyes quickly however, and moved to try and stand up. The sand dune was casting a shadow that he could've used for his jutsu, but the other new thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was the form of Kankuro's puppet standing directly over him. Its darts were aimed at him.

The end.

Kankuro slowly came into view, and from the position that he was sitting in, Shikamaru instantly felt smaller than he actually was. A reversal of what he had briefly felt earlier, standing on the top of the sand dune while Kankuro had stood at the bottom.

And all through this entire "battle", Kankuro's face was still that of one who was angry. Even as he let his lips part once again, and spoke of his victory.

"Looks like you were out-smarted, Nara."

When Kankuro finished speaking, he slowly began to walk closer towards him, entering the shadow that the sand dune cast over the area. Shikamaru tried to move his hands up again, but Kankuro flicked his hands, and Crow fired another dart towards Shikamaru, this time entering his leg. He cringed, but didn't cry out, and instead screamed at himself on the inside of his mind, where no one else had to know. He couldn't think of a way that he could get out of this one alive. He was going to die here. He was about to be killed. By Kankuro. Away from his village, away from his friends and family, away from Temari, and away from his future child.

To die. That was the exact thing that she had told him _not _to do.

He took in a deep breath, and then tried to move both his right and his left arm onto his lap. At the very least, his corpse wouldn't look too bad, in case anyone came across it. He worried and worried inside his mind, feeling guilt, feeling anger at his own stupidity and weakness, feeling intense hatred for the man who was slowly making his way towards him, almost purposely taking forever to do so.

Dying in battle and leaving his family behind… wasn't this the same way that Asuma and his own father had passed away?

Kankuro took out a kunai from his flak jacket, and then knelt over Shikamaru's body. Shikamaru didn't move. He wanted to move. He could _barely _do so at this point, as he began to feel the same affliction that harmed his right arm also begin to affect his left. But he couldn't make his way onto his feet. And as close as Kankuro was, there was no point. Not anymore. Any sudden, un-documented movement, would likely cause the already angry puppet master to attack him immediately.

No matter what he did, he would die.

Shikamaru began to breathe shallowly. Despite the internal panic that he began to feel, he had kept his face controlled and calm, allowing no emotion to slip through. His face was bored-looking as usual, and his eyes slowly narrowed at the man who was about to kill him.

Kankuro then rested the blade of his kunai at Shikamaru's neck, angling it so that it lay across his neck horizontally. Shikamaru looked down on the kunai, and then took a deep breath in through his nose. He wouldn't allow the sand ninja the satisfaction of knowing that Shikamaru was panicking within his mind. The oldest of the pair moved his fingers again, and Crow put away his darts, and its compartments closed up. Shikamaru slowly dragged his eyes over to the sight, before turning back to Kankuro just in time to hear him talk.

"The darts that hit you had poison in them," he explained. His voice contained a quiet storm. "You should be honoured too, you're the first one I really tried this formula modification out on. Basically, it's made to kill someone within a period of thirty eight hours, and during those thirty eight hours, the affected person is meant to feel a great, overwhelming feeling of pain. This feeling of pain continues until their death. Along with the pain, the recipient slowly goes blind, suffers from an extremely low chakra level, and bodily functions start to shut down. I had something similar to this before, but I edited the duration of time the recipient had until his or her death so that it would take a bit longer. _Just for you._"

Kankuro pushed the kunai a bit tighter against Shikamaru's neck, and then barred his teeth in front of him. Shikamaru ended up lifting his head a bit more towards him, but his expression never changed. At this, he could almost feel Kankuro get hotter.

"You like your face like that? Alright then. You can die with it on."

He slowly pressed the kunai deeper into his neck. Shikamaru's brain continued to work on overtime, trying to figure out a way out of this, but he wasn't coming up with anything. It looked like today would be the day he would die.

Shikamaru felt Kankuro make a cut in his throat with the pressure that he was applying onto him. He allowed his face to slightly narrow a bit more, in pain, as both of his hands began to feel as if they were on fire. Now, he could barely control them to twitch, let alone have them make any hand signals. It was over.

Shikamaru had prepared himself for the verbal berating that the eldest Sand brother would likely say as his "finishing move". He always had been one for flair. What he hadn't prepared himself for was what Kankuro had said next…

"Now, before you die, answer one last thing for me, yeah? Where the _fuck _is Temari, Shikamaru Nara?"

At this, Shikamaru's face turned from his usual bored expression into one of shock slowly, as his eyes slowly widened and his mouth slowly went agape. Then, Shikamaru began to remember.

When Temari had left the Hidden Sand Village, she never told anywhere that she was gone, nor where she was going. Not even her brothers. And considering their bond, plus the fact that they were _siblings, _it made sense that Kankuro would want to know where she was, years after she disappeared.

But still, Shikamaru wanted to spend a little bit more time awake, and so feigned ignorance. From their lives before the war, the dying man had a good grasp on what Kankuro knew about his relationship with Temari, but there were a few key holes in his understanding that he would have to exploit later.

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru's voice was beginning to waver as the pain in his body increased.

At this response, the puppet-master hardened his scowl at Shikamaru.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru wanted to say yes, but for the sake of his life…

"No."

"Either way, that isn't the point. The point is that I know that you know where she is, so give me her whereabouts. Now."

"I…. I wouldn't know where she was." Like hell he was going to let Kankuro know the truth. He knew Kankuro. He was an unstable, emotional idiot. The truth would cause Kankuro to lash out at him immediately, and then go back and tell Gaara about his new information immediately. And then from then, the Hidden Leaf Village would likely be attacked immediately, which would've put his wife, his future child, and the rest of his family and village in danger. He wouldn't let that happen. It would be better if Kankuro simply didn't know at all, or thought her to be dead.

"I don't know where she is."

Kankuro smashed his fist against Shikamaru's chest, causing him to cry out. Afterwards, Shikamaru bit his lip deeply, and the older man continued.

"You said that you didn't think that I was stupid, and that was the first lie. Now you're telling me that you don't know where Temari is, and that's another lie."

"I don't know where she is. What else am I supposed to say-?"

"I _know _you, Shikamaru."

"And I _know _you too, Kankuro. And I know that you know that I have no idea where the hell she is-."

"_You expect me to believe that you have no idea where she is, when you were __**with**__ her before the war? Just tell me where the hell she is! Or I'm going to just leave you here and you can spend the last hours of your life screaming out in pain in the middle of a desert, all alone!" _

Kankuro had grabbed onto Shikamaru's shoulders, having dropped his Kunai onto the sand beneath them. The grip caused him to flinch, and then Kankuro continued. His anger was evident.

"Tell me the truth. I _know _she's alive. And if neither Gaara nor I know where she is, that leaves one candidate. _You. _So _talk. Now!"_

Shikamaru winced, and then looked into Kankuro's eyes again, trying to stare him down.

"Fuck off, Kankuro," he spat. As the poison began to spread throughout his body, he found himself having a hard time speaking, let alone thinking. "I told you I didn't know where she was. What the hell more do you want from me?"

"And I told you that I know that you're lying-."

"Even if I was, why would I help you in any way? After you killed my comrades, put me at death's door, then stabbed my village in the bac-."

Kankuro instantly locked his hands around Shikamaru's neck before he could end his sentence. The look in his eyes went from red to black in almost an instant, but Shikamaru remained unfazed. It was like he said. Either way, he was going to die here.

He had gradually accepted it as the conversation had went on. He was going to die like this. Either being murdered by Kankuro once he finally got tired of him, or days later, sprawled out on the sand screaming in pain. He was going to leave. He would see Asuma. He would see his father again. He would be leaving his friends behind. He would be leaving his child behind.

He would be leaving Temari behind. And the very idea of doing so _terrified _him.

But… at the very least he wouldn't give the man in front of him the satisfaction of having power over him. The pleasure of having won something from him. The contentment of having his life in his hands. The gratification of being in charge. And, with diminishing strength and a shrinking reserve of air, Shikamaru continued to hold his face in a state of monotony. In a state of tedium. Allowing none of his emotions to come through. And the longer his face stayed the way it was, the more and more Kankuro got heated.

"Stabbed your village in the back? I don't remember hearing about that. I remember your village screwing _mine _over first. Let's not get mistaken-."

"Are… you going… to kill me… or not?" Shikamaru barked. His voice was weak and drained from Kankuro's grip, but his speech still was audible.

Kankuro removed a hand and pulled it back, and then brought it forwards to punch the Leaf ninja in the face…

Before he found that he found himself unable to move and he stood up, immediately moving away from Shikamaru, and taking his puppet with him.

Shikamaru grimaced at the developments, before noticing that Kankuro's face was contorted and twisted. While his actions were causing him to move back from Shikamaru and give him space, the puppet master's face seemed to be struggling with the very actions that he was doing. Eventually, he and his puppet were out of the dune's shadow, and into the blazing sun again. He was still facing Shikamaru, and after a few moments of just standing there, his movements began to become even more confusing.

He struggled to move both of his hands onto his forehead, and then tried to get down on one knee, before standing up straight again and taking more steps away from Shikamaru's downed form. His face began to wrestle with emotions, and eventually his mouth opened, and words began to slowly slither out of his lips.

"L-let… go of… me… you… bitch!"

Shikamaru leaned back against the sand dune that he was sitting on, and let out a sigh of relief.

_Ino. Choji. For fuck's sake, I must be a lucky idiot._

Choji quickly appeared from the top of the dune that Shikamaru was sitting under, and slid down it until he was standing next to his friend. Meanwhile, Kankuro saw the bigger ninja appear, and then let out a growl of frustration. He tried to use his fingers to propel his puppet towards them, not about to let the Nara get away, but then he found himself being thrown onto the sand in front of him. He yelled.

"Are you serious!? I perfected it! I thought that you'd be dead! You should've at least been out for longer!"

Shikamaru looked up at his comrade, and then slowly let his lips curl into a smile.

"I thought you were out."

Choji didn't waste much time talking, and instead knelt down, slugging his old friend over his shoulder, and balancing him there. Shikamaru at this point couldn't move his arms at all, but used his legs to facilitate his friend, being thrown over his shoulder. Choji then picked up the kunai near Shikamaru that Kankuro had dropped, and placed it into a back pocket. The large man turned around towards Kankuro's body, which was still on the floor, struggling to gain control.

"Alright Ino I got him!" He shouted. "Get ready to get up again, alright?!"

Choji began to move up the sand dune that he had come down from, all while holding Shikamaru's body on his right shoulder. Considering the weight difference between them, it proved to be extremely easy, and while Ino was restricting Kankuro, he could take his time and make sure that he wasn't hurting Shikamaru with discomfort. Upon reaching the top of the dune, he then slid back down the other side, revealing the other side of the environment that Shikamaru couldn't have seen from his previous positions.

Shikamaru was tired and weary, but even he could feel the sensation of Choji placing him down near the sand again. He struggled to use his eyes to look around, but Choji simply held up a hand.

"Just stick here, alright? I'm going to go get Ino, and we'll finish this. You just stay here."

Shikamaru tried to open his mouth to talk, but only ended up feeling a sudden need to breathe more. He caught his breathe, and his friend noticed this, before quickly pulling out the rest of the darts that had entered his body.

"Don't worry. We'll finish this, then we'll get you out of here. Just chill out here."

Choji threw the rest of the darts to the ground, and then turned around quickly to go off. Shikamaru quickly lost view of him once he went back over the other sand dune, and soon he simply placed his head against the sand, letting his eyes close as the poison continued to spread…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Shikamaru woke up, he was surprised to be alive.

After all, Kankuro was a dangerous ninja. The Ino-Shika-Cho formation usually required all three members to actually be successful. And even if Kankuro had been defeated and the Ino-Cho formation turned out to be a success, the puppet master had said that his poison would kill him within thirty eight hours. Thirty eight hours shouldn't have been enough time to save him.

And yet here he was. Lying in something that made him feel comfortable. Alive. Breathing. Still taking in Oxygen.

He slowly opened his eyes to look around him. Immediately in front of him he could see a bright white light. While originally thinking that he could still be dead, the appearance of the ceiling behind the light ended any ideas of that. He slowly rotated his eyes to one side of the room, seeing a machine, with a wire that was heading towards him and fed into a tube that was his left forearm, along with a window. He then slowly moved his eyes to the other side of the room, seeing another window, another machine that fed into his right forearm, along…

With the worried face of Temari Nara. And her swollen belly.

She seemed to be sitting in a stool beside the cot that he was lying in, and was looking out the window beside him. She hadn't noticed that he had regained consciousness yet, and at this Shikamaru found himself slowly changing his face into a smirk. Usually she was so alert, but today it seemed that she was off her game. She hadn't dressed up for the occasion either, simply wearing the loose, purple maternity wear that she had been commonly wearing for the past seven months, and her hair was still up in her usual ponytails.

Shikamaru simply stared at her for a few moments longer, before taking a deep breath, looking back at the ceiling and exhaling, enjoying the fact that he could still breathe. He was still alive. His friends had saved him. He would be able to continue on, at least for a while longer. He was looking at Temari. He would be able to see his child. He was luck-

"Shikamaru?"

Temari's voice usually dripped with some sort of venom or command, but this was one of the few times her voice lacked either of those things. The injured man turned his eyes back towards her to see that she was looking at him. Her eyes were big and full of worry, and in her face he could clearly see the bags underneath them. She rested both of her hands on her lap, and then peered into his own brown eyes, before speaking again.

"Shikamaru? Are you… are you awake?"

At this point in time, Shikamaru could've sworn her voice was the best thing in the world.

He slowly opened his mouth to talk, idly noting that his voice was as dry as his lips.

"Yeah. I'm here."

He then felt something almost pop in his head, and let out a moan while jerking his head suddenly forwards. Temari was instantly on it, slowly placing his head back onto the pillow he was lying on, before placing one of her hands on his forehead. When she felt his temperature, she frowned at him, before removing her hands from his body.

"Why did you have to go out and be reckless like this?" She began. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and then braced himself for the rant that was soon to follow. _Well that was a good single minute of her not being troublesome._

"Getting poisoned and all of this… mess. Engaging the enemy by yourself when you _damn well know _that you usually need a plan to even _begin _to be successful! Look at you! How did you even manage to get fucked up _this _badly when you were in a _team?!" _

Shikamaru exhaled. _I could really do with a smoke right now. Ugh._

"Did you… did you even think of the people you'd… potentially be leaving behind?! Or did you just keep crusading because '(you're) a ninja! (You're) a man! This is your du-."

"Are you done yet?"

"Not… not nearly! I mean… look at you! If Choji and Ino hadn't been there you'd be dead! And… I don't… do you even realise how things would've been like for me with you not here?!"

She paused, and when she did Shikamaru slowly tried to raise a hand to his head to feel his own temperature for himself, but soon found that he was still a bit too weak to do so. Looking down, he saw both of his arms lying on either side of his body, lightly bandaged. Then Temari began to talk again.

"You're just… I wouldn't have married you if you were this reckless-."

"Woman-."

"Don't interrupt me, Shikamaru! I'm just… You need to be more careful! I…"

She paused again, and Shikamaru made an effort to lean himself up on the pillow that he was lying on. When she continued, her voice was a tad bit softer.

"They told me what happened. I was… I was just so worried. The poison… thank heavens Sakura wasn't out on duty. Or else you wouldn't have made it. But… then I had to wait. When they brought you in, I had to wait. I had to just… sit there being so damn helpless and I _hated _doing that. Your life was completely in someone else's hands. Our _future _was in someone else's hands! It was… I talked to Ino and Choji to pass the time and they were always praising you but… I was just-."

"Just… stop. Calm down, Tem."

"No if I don't… say this. I mean… I know what I did. I ran off with you. I married a Shinobi. I left my villages, my brothers, so I could be with you. I should've prepared myself for the day that you might not be able to return to me. I should've done so before I had even come over. I… I shouldn't let myself be weak. But… but… just don't be so reckless! Be more careful! Study the battle and study your opponents! I mean."

Temari suddenly slumped forwards, and placed both of her hands on her stomach. Shikamaru watched her, and cringed as he saw this happen, before slowly pushing himself up on one of his shoulder. Temari groaned slightly, before slowly pushed herself back up so that she was leaning on the back of her chair. Shikamaru still watched her, and before she could continue with berating him, he spoke first.

"You shouldn't be talking so much in your condition," he said. He quickly realised what his words were going to incite, and corrected himself immediately.

"As in, you should take better care of yourself. Like I said earlier, calm down. I'm here, aren't I? I'm still alive. Don't… worry about me. I'm fine. I'm still breathing."

He tried his best to motion to Temari's abdomen.

"Instead, worry about the baby."

Temari frowned, and then looked away from him for a while.

"I do. I do worry about the little one. I'm just…"

Her voice drifted off. She didn't know what to say, or how to explain this to him.

Upon Shikamaru's voice being heard, however, she began to be thankful that she had chosen him as her husband.

"Scared. You're scared."

Temari nodded, hanging her head in acknowledgement. Shikamaru allowed his head to lie back on the pillow, and then continued to talk, now that it was easier.

"…Don't be. There's nothing we can do about it, there's nothing _you _can do about it if I end up dying in the line of duty. You… know this, Temari-."

"Doesn't make it any easier. It really doesn't."

Shikamaru let out another sigh.

"I know. But nothing's going to make it easier. You… you know this, Temari. And… trust me. I don't want to end up dying out there either, if I can help it. I have people I have to live for. But…"

Shikamaru felt something clutch in his stomach, and thus stopped talking. When he slowly moved his hands to clutch his stomach, Temari eyed him, before looking away from him. After a few moments, she shook her head.

"This… entire war's a fucking mess."

Shikamaru nodded slowly.

"This entire world's bullshit right now."

"…We used to be allies."

"Hmph, we used to be drinking buddies."

Temari smirked, and began to reminisce.

"You were able to drink all of them under the table and out of the bar."

"And now I can barely survive an ambush with only one of them."

Shikamaru chuckled sadly. Temari looked towards him and narrowed her eyes.

"So… it was an ambush."

"I thought you said that Ino and Choji told you everything."

"Not everything. Just… tell me what happened."

Shikamaru took a deep breath.

"He came out of nowhere, purposely kept me on my feet so I couldn't think, then came close to me with one of his puppets and kept on firing barrages of darts at me. Of course, I got hit and fell. Then…"

Shikamaru looked towards Temari and narrowed his eyes.

"He came up to me and then shoved a kunai at my neck and tried to interrogate me about where you were, Tem. The more and more I didn't talk, the more and more he got angry."

Temari looked away from him, and back at the floor. As her mind began to think thoughts, Shikamaru finished:

"After all this time, and they're still looking for you. I mean… you didn't tell them _anything _before you left?"

"No, I didn't. Would you have been able to figure out a way to say 'Sorry, but I don't agree with your point of view, and I think you're going to plunge the village into an eternal war. So I'm going to go marry my boyfriend and indirectly work to stop you from ruining everything we've spent years working towards.'?"

Shikamaru shook his head.

"No."

"And that's why I just left. That, and one of them would've probably been able to guilt trip me into staying, anyways. And I didn't want that to happen."

Shikamaru shrugged, and then looked around again.

"So, back to my story. After that, I guess Ino restricted Kankuro with her jutsu, and then Choji picked me up and carried me to safety. And now I'm here."

He looked towards her, and then considered the next thing he was going to say very carefully, before allowing his worlds to flow from his mouth.

"Your brother's gotten strong. And it's only been… what… three years now?"

"Three years, yeah."

Temari sat back on the chair she was on, and then began to feel an ache in her heart. _After all these years, they were still searching for me? Fuck… who did I leave behind? _Her body made the motions that they usually did when she was thinking of her brothers, but this time Shikamaru didn't comment on it. Instead, he simply looked towards one of the windows in his room, and began to zone out, simply watching the clouds that flew overhead. It was a nice overcast day, and there were plenty to look at. And after all of these years, he still loved to enjoy the simple pleasures of the sky.

Meanwhile, Temari's mind began to wrestle with the same thoughts they had wrestled with on the days after she had left Sunagakure. How were her brothers even progressing without her? According to all of the news she was getting from friends and her husband, the Sand Ninja were operating ruthlessly, but this wasn't a new thing. Any sights-

She inclined forwards again, holding her belly. The same thing that had happened minutes ago. Shikamaru noted her movements, and then looked towards her again, feeling stress, along with excitement, happiness and worry.

"…When did the doctor say you were due again…?" He asked. His voice was a bit softer than before, and his words came out slowly and crafted. Temari slowly sat herself back up, and then found herself blushing at the topic.

"The little one's supposed to be out by now, actually," she answered. Then she allowed herself to smirk.

"Typical Nara. He's not even born and he's already lazy."

Shikamaru laughed at this.

"So I guess we've figured out that it's going to be a boy, then."

"Oh, I hope not. I don't think I'd be able to survive if I had to deal with you and some mini clone of you. Except with somehow even more crying and laziness, it seems."

"Pfft."

Shikamaru looked back at the ceiling.

"Well… I guess when the squirt comes out I'll try to spend more time around the house, too. I mean, I don't want to see your parenting techniques."

Temari smiled.

"And what's so bad about my techniques? And how can you have an opinion on them if you've never seen then in action?"

Shikamaru coughed twice.

"Well, I don't know how your parents were, and you're the type of woman who'd run around hitting people in the head until they understood something. I can't have the future Nara heir being raised like that."

"Oh? As opposed to your parenting? What will you be doing? Telling the kid to walk instead of showing him, and then just playing Shogi all day?"

"Worked for me."

"Good thing you grew up with a Mom."

"A rather troublesome one."

"Oh, dear. Our kid better not grow up saying that. Or else I'm going to go insane."

"Hm, well we'll see."

Shikamaru took another deep breath in. He then looked towards his wife, and smiled.

"And… that's why you shouldn't worry about me dying, Temari. Especially now, I have to stick around to make sure that the King is protected."

He then looked up to her eyes, and smiled.

"And the Queen piece, of course."

Temari allowed herself to be taken in by Shikamaru being sweet, and then smiled sadly back at him.

"The same way I have to stick around to make sure that while the King is protected, the Knight is also in good hands."

Shikamaru read into her words, and then nodded slowly.


	5. Son

Shikadai Nara was born November 11th in the 3rd year of the Konoha-Suna War. He was born three weeks late, three pounds underweight, and with a tuft of black hair on top of his head, with deep green eyes. He was also the reason why Temari had to spend an extra few weeks pregnant, and a longer than usual labour. And while she started off being angry and upset at how long it took, along with all of the complications after the birth, one look at the little guy instantly eased anything that the new mother had been feeling.

Shikamaru had sat beside her on a stool. An interesting reversal of how the two had been positioned just a few weeks ago. The two were taking turns holding the little one in their arms, looking at their new child, watching him breathe, watching and hearing him snore. Smelling that new baby smell, looking at him and seeing the both of them within him. The both of them awing when he yawned, and then the both of them instantly becoming upset when he began to cry again. Shikamaru's strong hold on his little body, and Temari's exhausted, yet soft grasp on him.

Neither of them could exactly believe it. They had a child now. Together. It was theirs. They were parents.

After Shikadai had fallen asleep, Temari quickly joined him, while Shikamaru simply watched over the two, and allowed his mind to think. The actual childbirth had been chaotic as anything, and it was no surprise that Temari had been so tired. There had been a lot of screaming, a lot of pushing, a lot of the Nara head being kicked out of the delivery room for "not helping the situation". When the child finally came out, being underweight as he was, he was quickly checked up on, before, thankfully, the doctors were able to find no other real issues with him, and gave the crying infant to his parents. It took them a while to calm him down, before Temari fed him, before the new family had spent the rest of the night simply in each other's arms, welcoming the newborn to the world, all while being in awe of what had happened.

But as Shikamaru placed his head against the back of the chair he sat in, he couldn't help but remind himself of the situation, and become quite nervous and concerned. He had become a father, and Temari a mother, in the third year of a war that seemed to have no expiration date, after all. There was much to worry about.

The Suna front was getting closer and closer to Konohagakure each day. What would happen if they ended up attacking the village directly? What would happen to both Temari and little Shikadai? While he had no doubt that Temari still possessed the intelligence and strength that had first attracted him to her in the first place, anything could happen. She could be overwhelmed, not easily, but it was still a possibility. Should he start setting up traps within his home, just in case? Should he ask for more protection?

Then, there was the familiar theme of him possibly being killed in the line of duty. He had promised Temari that he would try his best to not have that end up happening to him, but there were no guarantees. There had never been any guarantees. But especially now, when he had a son…

He wanted to be able to stick around a bit more, and raise him. His own father had tried his best, but ultimately the pressures of being Clan head, along with being on missions all of the time, had made whatever efforts he had tried null and void. Asuma was killed before he even saw his child, and therefore there was no real guidance from there. The typical Shinobi father narrative was the only thing Shikamaru really had, and it basically just dictated a life where the father was out on missions all of the time, while the wife would stay at home and raise the children.

He shook his head, and then looked at Temari's sleeping form. She wouldn't want that, not at all. Neither did Shikamaru. But it was something that they would probably be forced to try. It had worked with his parents. It had probably worked with hers. There weren't many options available to them. Shikamaru had to be on the front lines. He had to be busy. That was his duty. He was a commander, a _general _now. He had dedicated himself to his village. It was the Will of Fire. He had to protect _everyone._

Shikamaru's thinking was interrupted by the sound of his son yawning again. He looked towards the little green bundle, and then found himself smiling in pride. The kid already looked a lot like him, something that he predicted would only increase through the years. And all of the yawning. _Already tired, kiddo? All you did was get born. _

He reached out a hand, and then ruffled Shikadai's hair. What little of it he had at this point. Soon, it'd be put into a ponytail. Just like his. Soon, he might start showing traits of either of them. Maybe he'd become troublesome like his mother. Maybe he'd become like him. Maybe he'd become just like him. That… would be scary. No… that would be excellent.

The boy opened his mouth and yawned again, and then smacked his lips together afterwards. _Probably going to be like me. Most likely._

Shikamaru removed his hand, and then leaned back against his chair again. He would have to carve up his time and focuses, even more now. Before, it was the war, Temari, his friends, and making sure that Kurenai was alright. Now, it would have to be the war, Temari, his friends, Kurenai, _and _Shikadai. The tactical genius of Konoha secretly hoped that Temari and Shikadai wouldn't prove to be too troublesome, and then slapped himself for thinking in that way. It was stupid to want that. They were his family. They had every right to take up space in his life.

He then rewrote his wishes to hope that the war would eventually take up less time and space. It was a useless thing, and could have been over in a day or two had any of the combatants decided to use their brains. But little did he know…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The War Would Continue To Go On.

In the 4th year of the Konoha-Suna War, Kakashi Hatake stepped down as acting Hokage, and appointed none other than the village saviour, Naruto Uzumaki, as his successor. After a vote, the appointment was official, and by the spring of that year, Naruto finally fulfilled his dream. While Kakashi had cited "personal reasons" for why he stepped down, on the inside he knew Naruto and Gaara's relationship. If there was anyone in the world who could speak to Gaara and make him end the war, it was him. And so on the day of his appointment, Naruto contacted Gaara through a conference call, and asked him of what the two would do for the war. Days passed with no real answer from the man, and everyone had thought, or rather assumed, that the war would be over.

That was, until, a week later after Naruto's coronation, the leaf village had been attacked. That seemed to have been Gaara's answer.

Both Gaara and Kankuro had been spotted, and therefore most of their attention had been divided on keeping track of the two brothers. While the strongest Shinobi had went towards attempting to subdue the two of them, the rest of Konoha was under the attack of the other Sand Ninja. By the end of the attack, surprisingly, while there had been a lot of destruction to property and petty thefts, there had been no deaths committed by the Sand Ninja on that day, and as a response, there had been no murders committed by the Leaf Ninja either. Instead, the two sides simply fought each other to a standstill, until the Sand Ninja eventually backed off and diverted from the attack. But one thing was certain…

If this had been Gaara's answer, then the war was nowhere near being done.

And so things had reverted to the "normal" that everyone in the village had come to accept at this point in all of their lives. Shikamaru was allowed to stay at home with his wife and newborn son for a month longer, until he was sent back out to the front to strategize and provide support once again. Temari had returned to the day to day clan meetings, the house-keeping, and her long walks amongst the village, although in this day and age she quickly found that she began to have less time to herself, and soon found that she had to spend more and more time with her growing son. Whatever time she usually had left in the day to attempt to hang out with her girlfriends was soon found at home with the little one, taking care of him and sometimes trying to teach him how to do simple things, such as how to walk and how to talk. Or at least, attempting to, Shikadai had confirmed himself to be an extremely fussy and unhappy baby, always wanting to sleep when Temari would try to show him something, but of course he was always awake when he was hungry. And to make matters worse, while it seemed that the infant had inherited Shikamaru's laziness, he had also picked up on some of Temari's sass, occasionally sticking his tongue out at her as she talked, ignoring her while she demonstrated, and rolled his eyes occasionally while she talked. At first, she chalked this up to him simply being a baby, and not understanding anything about what he was doing. However, as the months went by, and he began to grow, Temari finally began to register for what it likely was:

Shikadai inheriting some of her genes.

Shikamaru finally returned from his tour on the front lines almost a year later, in the 4th year of the war, about five days before his son's first real birthday. For this occasion, Shikamaru decided to invite all of his friends over for a sort of blow-out party mixed with the baby shower that he and Temari never had the time to properly have. While most of the people he had invited turned out to be busy, at the very least, Ino, Sai, Choji, Karui and their kids had been able to come. The birthday fell on a Saturday, which meant that Shikamaru could stick around for the entire day as opposed to a couple hours after work, and therefore he spent a lot of time actually planning the entire day out, and thinking about things that he and his family and friends could do. However, all of this planning and plotting eventually became null when it became apparent to him that, despite Temari, his boy, despite barely being a year old, was somehow lazier than him.

He had woken up in time for his birthday, but had also quickly fell back asleep the moment his Father had done something other than simply placing him back down, or giving him food. Any attempt at him trying to wake his son again had gone awry, either the boy would come to cry (causing Temari to yell at Shikamaru, as per usual) or the boy would simply stick his tongue out at his father. He had shrugged, bringing his son out into the living room and placing him with his friend's kids, only for the boy to give each of them one glance, before leaving the children to themselves and finding a spot on the carpet that didn't seem too bad for a nap. When Shikamaru saw this, he tapped his boy on the shoulder, only for the boy to yawn. Eventually, after the second tap, Shikamaru got tired and simply found a spot in his living room to sit, proclaiming:

"Hmph. Party's over for him."

And it truly was. The boy continued to nap, save for two occasions where he woke up just so he could get fed and have his diaper changed, despite already having an entire night of sleeping, despite the efforts of everyone trying to wake him, and despite the great degree of noise that was happening around him. The kid had made up his mind of not participating in his own party, and so everyone else simply maneuvered around him. The adults talked, and the rest of the kids attempted to play before either falling asleep as Shikadai had, or getting bored of one another and trying to get the attention of their parents. Time passed, cake was sliced, talks were had, Shikadai continued to sleep, and despite his son's stubbornness, Shikamaru found himself having a relaxing day. Temari hadn't nagged him at all, the boy cried once, the other kids didn't fight, and for once the day could be spent just relaxing, and not thinking about the war at all. Shikamaru had completely been distressed, joking around with Choji, catching up with Ino and Sai, while Temari had spent a lot of her time with Karui, either discussing foreign food recipes (neither of them had been born in Konoha, after all), or bragging, both trying to figure out who truly had been the deadliest kunoichi.

And eventually, the day had ended. Shikamaru and Temari had both went to their front porch to see everyone off, while Shikadai sat in Temari's arms, having finally woken up, and watched everyone leave. Both of the other kids, Chocho and Inojin, had tried to make some sort of noise or movement to get Shikadai to acknowledge them, but Shikadai had simply stared at them, before his little face slowly curled into a frown. After failing to gain any attention from the boy, both Chocho and Inojin had left with their parents, and Temari had moved inside, as Shikamaru closed the door behind them.

Shikadai had attempted to go back to sleep again, but before he could do so, Temari brought the boy to a point where he was suspended in her arms in front of her, being held up by his torso, and looking into his mother's pissed off eyes.

"I can't believe you just sat there for you entire birthday party and just sat there sleeping!" She had yelled. Shikamaru watched from the door, and found himself rolling his eyes. _Not even a toddler yet and he's already being yelled at. Gotta learn how to not piss her off, kid._

"I mean, look at all that me and your Dad did for you today! I guess… you're still really young… but no! No! I know you did it on purpose! Come on, look at how those two were trying to get you to play, and you just napped and then ignored them! Why? They're going to be your future team-mates you know! Why didn't you-."

"_Twublesum."_

While Shikamaru had begun to zone out, as he usually did when his wife got to nagging, he immediately had tuned in upon hearing his son's voice for the first time. His eyes slowly set upon the chubby little thing that was his youngster, and then slowly panned up to Temari's softening features. Her previously angry eyes had went easy, and instead of being angry, she was simply looking at their kid in disbelief. Meanwhile, Shikadai was staring up at his mother, and then, evidentially liking her reaction, repeated himself.

_"Twublesum."_

His face had lit up, and then he began to giggle as he repeated his father's favorite word over and over again.

"Twublesum. Trou- troublesome! Troublesome! Troublesome. Trrrrroublesome!"

While Temari had shut her eyes in a mixture of happiness, pride, annoyance and defeat, Shikadai had quickly stopped repeating the word, and instead began to squirm in her arms. Temari slowly lowered their child to the ground, which was when he began to crawl down their hallway, and into the open door that led into his room. After doing so, she slowly turned towards Shikamaru, and had simply lowered her head in utter defeat, while her husband began to smirk.

"You've barely been here, and he's somehow taking after you."

Shikamaru chuckled to himself, but then slowly lowered his eyes.


	6. Continuance

But even as the family had seemingly been allowed to have moments in which they could relax, the backdrop of the Konoha-Suna War still existed, which made these moments few and far in between. Within a week of celebrating his son's first birthday, Shikamaru had to leave again, this time on an actual mission as opposed to just being on the front lines, and Temari found herself alone with their child. As per usual, her old routine would follow, along with the alterations that she had had to make for the sake of Shikadai. Her duties seemingly had no end nowadays, as the war had waged on, more and more responsibilities opened up for the clan leader, and while Shikamaru was at war, she was the one who would have to deal with all of it. While Shikamaru was away, she would also have to juggle whatever free time she had for herself with raising Shikadai, and maybe hoping that one of her friends (Who were now also juggling married life and children) had any spare time. Stressful as it was, Temari managed all of this quite finely, of course, in her own way.

And while each of them did their duties, the war continued to brew on. By the 6th year of the war, both sides were obviously exhausted, Shikadai was two, and Shikamaru and Temari had been married for six years. As it had been in the 3rd and 2nd years of the war, the front was even between the two villages, and so the Hokage had attempted to speak with the Kazekage about the terms to end the war. Again. The two had met where the forest met the sand, again, but there wasn't any real conversation, as per usual. The Kazekage had simply restated his demands at the beginning of the war; three members of the Hyuuga, Two members of the Nara, and Six members of the Inuzuka clan dead, plus a large portion of the Land of Fire, in retribution for the series of terrorist attacks that his village had suffered.

The series of terrorist attacks that The Land of Fire had not committed.

As per usual, Naruto had attempted to provide the proof of his village's innocence, but as per usual, to any trained eye, it wasn't enough. Gaara had everything to prove his proof null and void, and so showed them as he did all of the other times he had attempted to talk to the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village. Kankuro, his only Kage Guard after Temari had disappeared, simply had looked on and watched the ordeal with cold eyes, while Shikamaru and Sasuke, Naruto's own guards and advisors, had looked on in disbelief. It had been six years, and the same thing had happened over and over again.

Gaara really didn't believe them, but who was to blame him? He had seemingly solid evidence of their crimes. The crimes they had never actually done.

Naruto continued to go on and stutter, but after a few minutes of watching the Hokage attempt to make his case, the Kazekage and his bodyguard had simply stood up and turned to leave. At this, the Hokage had panicked, and Shikamaru watched him do so. Everyone in the tent knew that there likely wouldn't be another time when the war was at a stalemate like this, and if they didn't reach a white peace now, then when the war _did _end, it would end very badly for one of the sides. In a final attempt to prevent this, without thinking, the Hokage had spoken out of turn, and his voice had caused both of the Sand brothers to stop in their tracks.

"Gaara," Naruto stated. The 5th Kazekage didn't turn around.

"Yes?" He had said. Any who once knew Gaara before the war could tell that his voice was unusually cold. Even for the state that their two villages had been in, Naruto's voice at least still gave out the warmth that it always did.

Naruto took a gulp, and chose his next words carefully. There _had _to be a way to reach the Gaara that he, along with mostly everyone in the room, once knew. And as per usual, no matter how far a friend was gone, Naruto would try. He would always try.

"… Aww, screw it. Let's just go ditch this entire meeting, and just go get some ramen. Ichiraku's still open right now, you know?"

Shikamaru could faintly hear Sasuke use one of his hands to harshly cover his face. Shikamaru had nearly done the same, but instead had found himself watching the scene in front of him. Sasuke was doing the same behind his hand. Out of everyone here, maybe he could be the one to talk some sense into the Master of the Sands. He had done so with Sasuke, he had done so with him before, and there was a great chance that he could work his magic agai-

Suddenly, the Nara Clan head could hear someone's teeth grit. He quickly deducted that it was Gaara's, and watched slowly as the red-headed man's hands turned to fists. The taller Kankuro, at this moment without his hood or his face paint, slowly turned his head towards his little brother. And through those gritted teeth, he could hear Gaara's anguished voice.

"…Naruto… Uzumaki, I do _not _dine with backstabbers."

Before Naruto could say another word, Kankuro had opened the flap to the tent, and both the Kazekage and his older brother left. There wasn't any point in chasing. The war would go on.

Even as Naruto slowly sunk his head into his arms, and looked down onto the ground.

And so the war quickly resumed after the meeting. Gaara, as per usual, had given the Leaf an entire week to re-think their position, and as per usual, the leaf had officially declined. Another castle-town was attacked, and the war started up again.

And that meant that both Temari and Shikamaru Nara returned to their schedules. Except, now because of the fatigue, everything was a bit more chaotic.

Sometimes Shikamaru would come home from an extremely long war council, and find himself falling asleep on their front porch. After Shikadai would casually complain about his Dad being a bum (It seemed that the boy was learning all of the _wrong _words), Temari would carry him to their bedroom, make him eat as he needed to, and then help him sleep. Sometimes, Shikamaru wouldn't' come home from the war council at all, and Temari would be notified that her husband had decided to simply sleep in the council room until the next meeting the day after. Sometimes, during the time he was supposed to be on leave, Shikamaru would be notified that he needed to return to the front immediately, and this would cause the Nara Leader to drop everything that he was doing, and quickly run off. Sometimes, Shikamaru would come home with a multitude of scars on his chest, and unlike the times before, Temari wouldn't be able to treat him at home, and would have to personally carry him to the infirmary. After this, she would likely scold his unconscious or tired body for being so careless.

There was another thing that had interrupted their regular routines, and it was the addition of their child to their lives.

While at first Shikadai would simply watch, as the years went on, the boy became more and more directly involved with his parent's routines, instead of simply being another thing that Temari or Shikamaru would have to tend to after a rough day working. By the 6th Year of the war, the boy was three, and the fact that he could walk and talk soon became an issue. Sometimes, when his father would come home late, and simply stumble into his and Temari's room and try to sleep, his boy would walk behind him, trying to investigate. By the time he was four, he began to notice the pained look on both his mother's and father's face, when he would ask if he had any Aunts or Uncles. By the 7th year of the war, Yoshino Nara passed away of a sickness, and while Temari had to help Shikamaru deal with his grief, she also had to help their son deal with his first ever loss. By the time he was five, the boy began to ask his father more and more specifics about the war he fought, soon learn that finding out those answers was easier if he just asked his mother, play shogi with both of his parents, and spend less time napping and more time either trying to persuade some of his friends to hang out with him, or simply find a spot in their backyard and simply watch the clouds, like father like son. By the 9th year of the war, he had completely started school, and while he hated it (it was "Too troublesome" according to him), the friends he had played with earlier in his life were there, so it wasn't as bad as he thought. This time that Shikadai spent at school helped Temari schedule her day, and for that year Shikamaru found himself coming home more and more "on time", and thus more steadily was able to eat breakfast and dinner with his family at the same time.

And by the 10th year of the war, with Shikadai's 2nd year of school, Shikamaru's 37th birthday, Temari's 40th birthday, Shikadai's 7th birthday and the 10th anniversary since Shikamaru and Temari had married, all of the Nara, along with the rest of the leaf village and no doubt the Sand village as well, were glad to find themselves in a hiatus of the war.

The year had begun with a small skirmish over a bordering sand village in the land of Wind, but other than that, all of the fighting had been due to missions, and not due to attempted land grabs. For the first year in the war, neither the Hokage nor the Kazekage had been away from their villages, and simply been at home, doing war preparation. But as the year had went on, the shaky "peace" seemed to have continued. The missions against each village had slowly stopped until it ceased, and soon, there was no more "front lines". This meant that both of the Kage could recall their ninja back to their villages, on some sort of leave, and thus Shikamaru found himself working at home.

And as the year went on, he found it odd that his work began to… diminish. His time at the Hokage's office with Naruto slowly began to become less and less, as the man began to send his advisors home earlier, and simply finish whatever work that still needed to be done by himself. This had given all of his advisors, including Shikamaru, even more time to spend with their families and their friends, and soon Shikamaru found himself spending entire days at home. This still meant that he had to work in some capacity, of course, Temari wouldn't let him laze around _too_ _much, _but now this work could be something other than simply more preparation to kill people. This work could be something that he actually wanted to do. Like take care of his family and hang out with friends.

And so, everyone had let their guard down, just a little bit. Naruto continued his attempts to contact Gaara to perhaps sign a peace treaty. People spent time with their friends and family, or simply to themselves. And for a while, everything in the village was peaceful…

That was, until that fateful day.

On October 23rd, of the Tenth Year of the Konoha-Suna War.

When the uneasy peace ended.


	7. Trespass

"Are you ready, Kankuro?"

The man that Gaara, the 5th Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village, was addressing seemed not to be paying much attention. The younger brother simply watched as the older one continued to look at the scene in front of them, seemingly amazed by what the man was seeing in front of him. After a few moments of him not responding, Gaara allowed himself to look towards the sights as well.

The view of the Village Hidden in the Leaves on its afternoon truly was captivating, or at least it was this day. Since the last time they had both been to the village, five years ago, it seemed to have only grown. In addition to everything that was there before, a few skyscrapers were beginning to be built, and there were entire tracts of forest that had never been there before. These new trees were the source of all of the fallen leaves that he could faintly see across the village, decorating the streets and floating about the air. From their position on top of the wall, he couldn't see any individuals below him, but he could still faintly hear the sounds of civilians and villagers. Laughing. Playing. Talking. A bit of arguing. Some orders. But, mostly innocent people…

Being completely ignorant of their approach.

Gaara's eyes continued to scan the village, and the two other guards that had been brought with him caught his feelings, and sat down as well. It was weird that there wasn't much security on the Konohagakure wall today. It was even stranger that the group of uninvited travellers had been able to sit still for so long. And upon their travels to this village, they hadn't seen a single ninja, and even in their enemy's village, no one had even detected them.

The Kazekage looked to this right, and then looked to his left. The view of the village below was beautiful, but he correctly assumed that eventually _someone _would be competent enough to do their jobs, and detect them. That was, if they hadn't been detected already.

And so, Gaara simply tapped his brother on the shoulder. The Puppet master shivered, and then turned around.

"Ah? …Oh. Sorry. Sorry I was just-."

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Gaara asked. His voice was informal, as it always was with his brother, but still commanded a bit of respect.

Kankuro nodded.

"Very. We… don't see leaves colour like that in Sunagakure. Matter of fact we don't see 'em at all."

"I know." Gaara looked around again, as Kankuro finally stood up and prepared himself to move with his Kage. The younger man then furrowed his brows, and frowned.

"…We also don't see an entire village full of traitors in Sunagakure either though, don't we?"

"Nope." Kankuro said.

He took a deep breath after this. Gaara continued.

"Let's go. The quicker we complete this mission, the quicker we go home."

"Right."

Gaara turned around to face the other two ninja that stood behind him, to make sure that they were ready to go. With a simple nod, both of them reassured their Kage that they were ready. After he turned back to the man standing in front of him, Gaara rushed forwards, and jumped off of the wall. Shortly, he could hear the other three that had come with him jump with him. Landing on a sheltered rooftop below, he prepared to jump again, before he heard a sudden cough behind him. He turned his head to see Kankuro again, and brought his brows together in slight annoyance.

"Hm?"

Kankuro took a deep breath, and then finally spoke again.

"Are… Are we really about to do this?"

While the other two members of the party said nothing, Gaara felt himself resisting the urge to place a hand over his face. He rolled his eyes.

"Yes," he stated, flatly. "…I thought you didn't have an issue with it…"

"No… I don't. I… I just…"

"You just… what?"

"Was just… checking it. I'm… I'm ready."

Gaara's eyes filled slightly with worry. But, reminded of his audience, he had to temper his feelings a bit more.

"If you're uncomfortable with this… then you can stay at the base camp."

"No. I'm your safeguard throughout everything else so clearly I'm going to guard you now. It's just… in _his home, Gaara?"_

Kankuro's face filled with a hint of guilt. Gaara's filled with the same emotion, but he was able to hide his emotions better, of course, with twenty years of being Kage under his belt, it had become easy to. He looked away from his brother once again, and he found himself being once again captivated by the multi-coloured leaves that flew around now.

The wind was strong today. Now that they were off the wall, the foreign, multi-coloured leaves that they had seen from far away went by their faces, and therefore played a beautiful scene in front of them. And those leaves made Gaara consider.

"...He is going to die in his own home…"

Gaara flinched as one of the leaves fell onto his face, and then simply flinched his cheek to get it off of him. Kankuro's eyes were still on him, expecting some sort of answer or reprieve. Something to take the guilt away from what he was going to do. At the best case scenario, an assurance that neither of them were about to do it.

But at the same time, he predicted that that would not happen. And this prediction turned out to be correct.

Another leaf came across Gaara's face, while another flew by Kankuro's. Gaara creased his brows more. This leaf had been orange. The same colour as the tracksuit of someone he used to know.

_…For fuck's sake, Naruto. Do you control the leaves now too? _

Gaara's face got dark suddenly, and he turned around and away from his older brother.

"…We don't have time to feel onus. And what we're doing… it'll end the war. In a day. Finally, after an entire decade of fighting. It will _**end**_. So let us just finish this. All _he _needs to do… is die. I've… we've been over this. I… told you about this…"

Gaara began to jump, and Kankuro and the other two who followed him were a flash behind. Kankuro gulped, and kept whatever else he had inside within him as he did so. After the third leap away from their previous position, his face had slowly returned to the stony one that he had been wearing before getting atop the leaf village's wall, and his brows narrowed. While a tinge of guilt clouded a corner of his mind, he had begun to try and believe Gaara's words. _What we're doing… it'll end the war. _

He had to believe that. It had to be _true._ Gaara had never seemed so sure of anything for the entire ten years that this tragedy had been going on. Why would he be so sure of something that wasn't at least mostly true? His brother was no fool. And this hadn't been something that had been thought up overnight. It had required planning, co-ordination, a draft, a rewrite of that draft. The hypothesis that Gaara held now had to be close to the truth at this point, why else would he make sure that he came himself? Why else would Kankuro be with him now, as he always was? If Gaara's plans and ideas weren't always right, or at least almost always right, then why would he have ever been able to become the Kazekage?

But even as he had been able to at least convince himself that what Gaara had said was true, he still couldn't help to become at least a bit cautious of the plan. There were so many avenues where they could go wrong. So many avenues where Gaara could be harmed. So many avenues where he could be wron-

_No. This isn't me. Shut up, we'll be fine. Just… it's just one man._

One man. Kankuro looked up, through his purple paint and the leaves that flew into his face, and on the back of his little brother and Kazekage. The man who was to die today wasn't the man who had changed his little brother from the monster he once was into the hero that he was today, and that was a comfort. Neither of the two brothers would be able to live with themselves if they had killed _him _in such a cowardly way. But the man who was to die today would no doubt still impact the both of them nevertheless. This man… had grown close to the siblings, all three of them, before the war, and once fought alongside them, once fought _under _Gaara, as if he was a Sand Shinobi himself. This man… had an intellect that could destroy anyone's, his strategies in the war had been top-notch, and if the Hidden Sand didn't have such a great group of generals and fearless Shinobi, the war would've been over in minutes. The man who was about to die-.

"Another thing, Kankuro."

Kankuro looked a bit higher than he was before, and the back of Gaara's blood-red hair was his focus. The man couldn't turn around due to the fact that he was jumping, but his voice still radiated clearly and strong.

Kankuro nodded. "Hm?"

There was a pause, before Gaara spoke again, his speech heavy.

"You said that you asked him before this, and he said he didn't know where she is. Well… this time we'll make sure that he talks. He _will have _to know where she is."

_Temari..._

The older brother instantly gripped both of his fists. Gaara began to jump faster and farther, and Kankuro followed him as he did this. Both of the brothers were now showing their emotions plainly and clearly on their faces.

Both of them were angry, but also deadly determined. She had been missing for 10 years… and it was now time to find her.

Another jump. Gaara spoke.

"We'll first take out their sentries and defences, their tower is just up ahead. And then… we end this. The search, this war, _**everything**_."


	8. Relaxation

Shikamaru braced himself as he felt a tickle go off in his nose. Then, in the lonely house that he stood in, he found himself sneezing loudly. As a small piece of mucus began to drip out of his nose, he quickly placed his other, free hand on his nose to wipe it away, and then rubbed it off in a nearby napkin. He took a look around his surroundings, before rolling his eyes and sighing.

_I'm not sick. I wonder what it could've been._

After finishing dealing with his bodily functions, the Nara Clan head continued to put away the bounty from his trip to the grocery store into his fridge. In a moment he was finished putting everything away, and had then placed the paper bag that had held the food into a cupboard beneath the sink, the same place that Temari had always placed the paper bags. And in another moment, he was standing just outside of his kitchen, and looking in, making sure that nothing else was out of place or in disarray. After inspecting the kitchen to his liking, he had turned around, and moved himself into his living room. On his way there, he had looked on the walls and on the floors, once again making sure that everything was clean. After that, upon reaching his destination, he simply pulled out his Shogi table, and began to set it up in the living room.

He took out the pieces and began to place them in their allotted spots. Once he was finished this, he placed down three cushion, two large one for the adults, and one small one for a child. He opened the window to the room slightly, to allow some air to come in, and then quickly returned himself to the shogi table, making some finishing touches to make sure that it was set up the way he wanted it to be. Afterwards, he took a final look into the hallway, then moved back into the kitchen, just to double check and make sure that truly everything was done properly. He made a trip to the entranceway of his home, making sure that it was clear and clean. Finally, after making sure that everything was the way he wanted it to be, he returned to his shogi table, sat himself down on one of the adult cushions, and began to play the game by himself, waiting for the other two members of his family to appear and fill the other cushions.

It was in the late afternoon of Wednesday, October 23rd that Shikamaru had decided to give Temari a "break", and simply just have a "family night" with her and Shikadai. It had been a long time since one of them had decided to do so, and with the hiatus in the war, anytime around today would be the perfect time for it. None of the three Nara exactly enjoyed energetic things, at least Shikamaru and Shikadai didn't, but Shogi had somehow become the family's unofficial game over the years (Probably since, other than Go, it was the only game that Shikamaru played and Shikadai had basically grown up watching his father do that), and since it was the only game that all three of them really enjoyed playing that didn't require much energy, it was the first thing that Shikamaru had thought of preparing and setting up. For the food and snacks that the family would likely also eat today, he had stopped by on the grocery store on his way back from work, to refill the fridge and also add a few things for treats. When he got home, the house had already been clean, a testament to Temari's skill, but the Clan head made sure to double check. Finally, with everything else in order, he mentally allowed himself to sit down on one of the two cushions he had laid out, and decided that practicing some maneuvers by himself wouldn't be so bad, as he waited.

Finally, he heard the front door to his home open. He looked over to a clock on a counter near him. 3:30pm, it read. Shikamaru had expected her to be here when he returned from his advisement today, an hour earlier, but she hadn't been. No note, or anything. But then again, she probably hadn't been expecting him so early, as he usually found his way into the house until after 5pm on most days. He shrugged, and then slowly began to place the pieces back into their original spots, preparing for his wife as he could hear her walk down the hallway.

_Now, the only thing to make this day better… no nagging. None at all._

He heard bags fall to the ground, and then heard light steps. Shikamaru smirked. He heard a fridge open, and then heard a sharp gasp from the kitchen. Afterwards, he heard some more footsteps. He smirked a bit more, and then slapped his hand onto the floor in his room, making a loud sound. He heard a gasp, and then looked towards the entranceway to his living room to see the cruelest kunoichi of his generation rush to the opening, and almost rush through it to investigate the noise, before stopping at the door once she saw Shikamaru.

Shikamaru then watched as his wife's eyes slowly scanned the room he sat in. He stayed seated on his cushion as her eyes began to narrow at the sight she was seeing. The house was clean, her fridge was stocked, everything was quiet, and her husband was sitting on a cushion in front of her, playing shogi, and presumably waiting for her to sit down and join him. To make matters even weirder, their son hadn't come back from school yet, and it was early in the afternoon. It was… unusual to say the least.

Shikamaru spent a few more moments being quiet, before Temari finally broke the silence.

"… Shikamaru what the hell are you trying to do?"

Shikamaru leaned back on his two hands, and simply shrugged.

"Giving you a break."

Temari's face continued to be quizzical.

"…How are you even here early today?"

"The Hokage sent his advisors back early. The war's basically on a hiatus now. Remember, I told you that a while ago?"

"Oh, right."

Temari continued to look confused.

"So… you aren't going to go out back and watch the clouds or something?"

Shikamaru shrugged.

"Not today. Put that stuff down and let's play. I owe you a rematch, remember?"

"…Who do you think you're talking to?"

"A woman who needs a rest."

Temari continued to stand at the door, being dumbfounded at the things that Shikamaru was telling her. Usually, the two Nara males that she took care of and loved from day to day were exceptionally lazy. While they each had their times of showing her that they truly did love her, it usually wasn't something like this. Eventually, after a moment or two of continuing to stand there, Temari rolled her eyes, headed back to the kitchen to place the bags in her hands on the kitchen counter, and then returned to sit down in front of Shikamaru on the cushion that he had positioned on the other side of the table.

Shikamaru spent the moments before she opened her mouth again to take in the sight of his wife. Over the ten years that they had been married, she had aged, but not nearly to the point where any of her beauty had left her. Her skin was still smooth for the most part, save for the few wrinkles that appeared around her mouth and eyes, and her body was still in good shape, with not a lot of excess weight and an overall healthy figure. She still kept her hair in her four ponytails, her eyes were still that captivating green colour, and they still had, even when she was scowling, a soft look to them. There was a small scar on the right side of her chin from an incident 15 years ago, but other than that her face was still the face Shikamaru had fallen in love with. Today, she wore a black kimono, similar to the one that she used to wear all of the time, with a red belt wrapped around her waist.

Temari spent the same moments to look over her husband, and then silently also noted that his appearance hadn't changed much either. He still wore his hair up in his signature ponytail, aside from his black goatee and a few wrinkles around his mouth and eyes, there was no major altercations in his face, and he was still skinny, except for maybe a few pounds of muscle around his arms. From the time he had gotten back, whenever he had gotten back, Shikamaru seemingly had found the time to shed his regular Jonin outfit for a casual light blue yukata, not even bothering to wear any socks or sandals within his house. Temari found herself rolling her eyes at this, but eventually the both of them returned their attention to the board in front of them.

This was going to be an interesting match. The two usually played shogi together on the times they both found themselves at home at the same time, and as a result Temari had slowly gotten used to Shikamaru's moves and strategies while playing this game. When they had first started playing, she was quite easy to beat, but the latest matches they had had ended up with Shikamaru winning by a move or two. She was definitely getting better.

Shikamaru made the first move, moving one of his pieces forwards on the table. Temari considered the first move, before moving one of her pieces forwards as well. Shikamaru slowly moved another one of his pieces forwards as well, and Temari followed suit. He moved another one of his pieces, and she did the same. From three moves, Shikamaru found himself chuckling softly to himself. Temari raised a brow immediately.

"What's so funny?" She asked. Shikamaru silently noted that her voice hadn't changed much either, and it still held the command, power, and yet melody from all those years ago. The Nara Head shrugged, and simply moved another one of his pieces forwards.

"You're going to lose." Upon hearing his voice again, Temari noticed that Shikamaru's voice had changed. Ten plus years of smoking would do that to a man, and his voice had gotten deeper and more rugged. She didn't exactly mind, although she inwardly worried about what all of those cigars and cigarettes were doing to his lungs and body.

But it was time to think of the now, the Shogi game in front of her. She rolled her eyes.

"No I'm not."

She moved another one of her pieces. Shikamaru continued to watch her, before asking another question.

"…So, when does Shikadai get back, usually?

"He's usually here by now, actually. I'd give him a few minutes."

"Mm." Shikamaru moved another one of his pieces, taking out one of hers. Temari cringed.

"I told you you'd lose."

"We'll see. It's just one piece."

"Mm."

Temari moved another one of her pieces.

"…Can't believe there hasn't be a skirmish or anything for so long," she said idly. Shikamaru nodded, and then moved another one of his pieces. At this point, he was in a good position to start, and would likely win the match unless Temari caught onto his strategy.

"It's weird, isn't it?"

Temari moved another one of her pieces.

"But… nothing's been signed yet? Is that still the deal?"

Shikamaru moved a piece.

"Nothing's been signed. And any attempts at establishing contact with Gaar- I mean the Kazekage, have been unsuccessful."

Upon the mention of her brother's name, Temari's eyes darkened, and she sighed deeply.

"I see."

Temari moved a piece, before noticing a gap in Shikamaru's tactic.

"You're not protecting your king."

"Hm?"

She pointed to the shogi board.

"It's wide open."

"I know."

"I could win this in a move if I really wanted to."

"Then go ahead. You'll see what happens."

Temari considered for a moment, before moving a piece. Shikamaru moved a piece, and took out her other piece. Temari moved another, and Shikamaru moved another. Temari took out another piece, and then the both of them felt a pause in their play as they both heard a door slide open.

"Moooomm. Hoommmmeeeee."

Both husband and wife looked at each other in the eyes, before hearing some footsteps slowly come towards them. They were rather soft, and both of them trained their eyes to the door of their living room just in time to see their seven year old son slug his way through the hallway and appear at the door.

They watched as his green eyes, the same colour and look as his mother's, slowly looked over the scene in front of him. After a moment of doing this, Shikadai yawned, not bothering to put a hand over his mouth, and decided to greet his parents.

"'Sup."

He then noticed his father sitting in front of his mother, and raised a brow.

"Huh? Dad? You're usually not back this ear-."

"Address your father properly, Shikadai," Temari lightly scolded. Shikamaru looked over to her to see that she had closed her eyes, and while her face was a blank, he could tell that she was trying to keep her obvious irritation towards their son under her skin. He then looked towards Shikadai, who was now leaning against the door that lead to their living room.

"How do I even address my own Da-."

"_Father, _he's your _father, Shikadai._ And you would start with _greeting him._"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. He personally didn't really care how his son addressed him from a day to day basis, but it was something that Temari was a bit particular about. She was a strict woman.

He saw Shikadai roll his eyes, and then sigh loudly. Shikamaru frowned at this. The boy looked exactly like him when he had been younger, except for his mother's eyes, and if Shikamaru remembered anything from his childhood, it was the fact that he would have never done what Shikadai was doing right now. Simply disregarding his Mom. Because of what came after. The yelling. The annoyed look from his own father. The scolding and the grounding. The loss of privileges.

Temari slowly opened her eyes and looked towards her son. Her son simply looked lazily into his mother's eyes. Temari narrowed her eyes.

"…Shikad-."

"Alright then I'm just going to head to my room. See you both at dinner!"

Shikadai quickly exited the room, and the two could hear their son begin to walk slowly towards his room. Shikamaru looked back towards Temari and saw her face instantly get red with rage. The husband rolled his eyes.

_Nope, no. We're not doing this today._

Sometimes he could swear the boy purposely pissed his mother off. As he heard Temari begin to stand up, she heard her husband clear his throat loudly. She could then hear a piece move, and she turned her head back to the table to see that Shikamaru had moved a piece.

He was looking at her now, his face with a light frown. "Your move, Tem."

Temari's eyes narrowed at his, as her face continued to redden in anger. "What!? You thi-."

"We're not done here."

Temari stood silent for a moment.

"…Are you just seriously going to tak-."

"I said you needed a break."

"He's just so -."

Shikamaru looked straight in her eyes and gestured to the game table in front of them again. He didn't say another word. After a few more moments of being angry, Temari huffed in defeat, and sat back down at the table. Shikamaru's face softened as Temari moved another piece.

"Where does he even get that mouth from?" She muttered. Shikamaru moved another one of his pieces as his wife went on.

"He's disrespectful, lazy, doesn't take things seriously, always talks poorly of all of the girls in his class, complains about doing everything other than napping and sleeping, but also somehow is brash, impatient, the few times he does want something he wants it right now-."

"Well everything but the last three things are from me." Shikamaru sneered. Temari moved one of her pieces, and then scowled at him.

"Don't remind me."

Shikamaru moved another one of his pieces, and then continued to smirk.

"He'll grow out of it eventually. I did."

"Doesn't mean he's not going to be a nuisance in the meantime."

"Mmhmm."

Temari moved another one of her pieces. She was awfully close to Shikamaru's king piece now.

"I thought you said that I was going to lose," she jeered. Shikamaru's face continued to be jovial. She noticed this.

"I can't believe I'm so close. Aren't you always going on about how important the King is, Shikamaru? So you can defend him perfectly in reality, but in a game you-."

Shikamaru moved a piece, and ended up taking out the piece he was threatening him with. She looked back to her side of the board, seeing that she was quickly running out of pieces. He sighed calmly, and then leaned his head back.

"I thought you were going to be able to see through that," he muttered. Temari looked up at him with annoyed eyes.

"Wha-."

"I was testing this new strategy out, you see. I leave my king 'open'. The enemy thinks that I'm not paying attention, when I am. When my enemy comes for my king, I get them."

Temari moved another piece, trying to counter him, but her spouse countered successfully, and the piece she used was gone. She moved another piece, and he got her again. And again, and again.

Her brows frowned with agitation, and Shikamaru found himself snickering lightly at this. She looked cute sometimes, when she would frown. Of course, if she ever got irritated to the point where she was angry, it quickly became not fun. The two continued to play until Shikamaru was able to move his final piece into position, right beside her king, capturing him.

She let out a groan. His smile increased.

"Heh. Looks like I won."

"I thought I had you this time, too."

"You think that every time."

"Shut up."

"Yes ma'am."

The two just stood there for a while. Temari looked over the shogi table, while Shikamaru found himself looking over his wife. They could faintly hear the sound of their son putting something down in his room, and eventually the two of them looked back to each other. Temari gave him a light smile.

"…Thanks. I had fun." She said. Shikamaru smiled at this.

"Good. We can play again if you'd like."

"Oh? You don't have work?"

"They let me off early. There really isn't anything to do." Shikamaru slowly stood back up.

"Do you have much work left to do though?"

"Well, I have to at least start making dinner soon."

"Alright. I'll help you with that then."

Temari slowly narrowed her eyes.

"… You're being awfully helpful today. Had a revelation at work or something?"

Shikamaru slowly smirked at her more.

"You don't remember what day this is, do you woman?"

"Umm, no," she said. She tilted her head slightly.

"What day is it?"

"Our anniversary. Ten years, Tem."

Temari's eyes slowly widened, and then her face softened. Shikamaru watched the emotions on her face, and then slowly stood to stand up while she was still going through the emotions.

It had been ten years since they had gotten married. This also meant that it had been ten years since the war began. Ten years since she had chosen him. Ten years since she had left Sunagakure for good…

Ten years since she had left her brothers.

She felt a small pain in her chest, and coughed, leaning forwards and placing a fist at her lips. _No, it's my anniversary. I'm not thinking about this shit. _Before she could think of anything else, she felt a pair of hands fall onto her shoulders, and then slowly begin to massage them. She let out a light moan, before also feeling a body press itself against her back. She began to blush slightly, and then allowed a smile to come across her face.

Shikamaru was up to his old tricks, it seemed.

She felt breath on her neck when he spoke.

"Happy 10th."

She chuckled, silently marveling at how Shikamaru's hands were quickly making her forget about her previous thought process. She also laughed at the role reversal that was going on, usually, in his time of need, it was _her _to massage him, and tell him that everything would be okay. In her own special way. Eventually, she responded to her husband.

"Happy 10th to you too, Shikamaru," she said. Shikamaru slowly began to go deeper in his massage, and eventually his hands left her shoulders, and went to her back.

Temari moaned a bit more. Shikamaru spoke.

"How about we play one or two more games, and then I can help you in the kitchen?"

"You're awfully not-lazy today, Nara."

Shikamaru's face lit up.

"And you've only been angry for a little bit."

"And you've actually been helping out."

"And you've actually been mostly calm."

Shikamaru moved his hands a little bit lower, and Temari shivered.

"Mm… we should have an anniversary every day."

"Yep." Shikamaru's hands slowly left her lower back, and instead reached forwards to wrap themselves around her.

"Just… get out the game, kick Shikadai into his room or out, and just play."

"Yep."

Temari heard the shuffling of feet outside in the hallway. As Shikamaru slowly came to her ear, she could hear another voice from outside the room.

"Mom. Dad. Heading out. Going to the Yamanaka's. Will be back for dinner. Later."

The both of them heard the door open and close, and then Temari rolled her eyes. Shikamaru, on the other hand, seemed to not be affected much, and simply laid his head to rest of on her neck.

"Well, looks like we can do what we want to for a few hours, Mm?"

Temari turned her head to his, and then spent a few moments looking at her husband's face. No scars, no altercations. Light wrinkles, just like hers. Light, lazy smile.

Shikamaru found himself looking into her eyes as well, and then the two looked for moments longer, before Temari finally took a breath, and moved into Shikamaru's mouth for a kiss. While their lips were connected, the head of the Nara clan turned her around, to enable him to go a bit deeper. Their tongues wrestled lightly, Temari's trying to make up for the lost Shogi game while Shikamaru's trying to keep her in her place, and soon Shikamaru had snaked her arms around her again, this time with her facing him. Temari did the same, and slowly moved her hands to the back of his head. Upon this feeling, Shikamaru slowly pushed the two of them beside the game board, and placed her back onto the floor, climbing ontop of her.

It was as it usually was. She initiated the romantic encounter, and he simply went along with it. It wasn't like he was complaining. Usually when she wanted it, he wanted it too. The luck of knowing when your soul mate wanted the same as you. Soon, both of their hands went into each other's hair, and their chests were completely stuck together. The two slowly began to feel the heat between them, before inevitably, one of them broke the act.

Temari.

After her body had declared her mate the winner of the tongue-wrestling match, she slowly broke away from the kiss. Shikamaru looked at her with a confused look on his face, before Temari slowly spoke.

"I still have to make dinner. And I still have to kick your ass in a game of Shogi. Or two. After that… well… I'm all yours."

Temari pecked a kiss on his cheek while Shikamaru took a few moments to consider her words. After those moments, he sighed, and then rolled off of her. Well, she hadn't completely denied him. And it was good that she remembered the dinner. And, as well, it would've have been awkward for their son to have walked in on his parents having sex. And, he _did _owe her a rematch in Shogi, at least one of them.

He laid on his back side his wife, who also laid on her back, her hair slightly messed up. His hair was in the same condition. They both laid there for a few more seconds, before both of them slowly got up, and both walked towards the kitchen. The shogi game would have to be cleaned up a bit later.


	9. Preparations

_Nine Hours Later…_

Kankuro stood within a tree above the courtyard to the main household. The sky had been pitch black, except for the moon, and the lights within the house weren't on, so the puppet master used the night vision goggles that one of his group, a strong fellow named Muta, had brought. He looked around the area in front of him, and as he slowly found that there weren't any guards, or anyone in the area, he took off his goggles, and then turned towards his right.

"I don't see anyone."

Gaara slowly stood up from his position of sitting on the branch of the tree. If it wasn't for his pale skin and his red hair, Kankuro wouldn't have been able to see him. It was odd, how easily the man was able to blend into the environment, even if it was dark.

"Good." He moved to leave the tree, but before he could jump out of it, he noticed that Kankuro wasn't moving. Simply, his brother's face seemed to be fixed on the house that the two were about to go into. Gaara stood there, waiting for him to move, before giving up, and sitting down on the tree.

_Not this again._

"Kankuro…" he growled. He had spent the entire day with him, and this topic kept on coming up. This guilt. This feeling. And as a Kage, he couldn't let himself feel these feelings anymore.

Kankuro continued to stare at the house in front of him, before finally registering that his brother was talking to him. He snarled.

"We're going to kill him in his sleep, Gaara."

The Kazekage frowned.

"Yes." His voice was flat, but there really wasn't much else to say.

Before Kankuro could protest anymore, Gaara jumped down from the tree, and then motioned for his brother to follow him. Kankuro sighed, and then slowly lowered himself to the ground as well, making no major amount of noise.

The two were in a beautiful garden, now. It made sense for this particular clan to pay close attention to botany and nature, but it seemed like these particular members loved it a little bit more. Along with the giant tree that the two had been hiding in, the garden was dotted neatly with different plants and fungi, and as a form of respect for the work done, as both of the brothers walked towards the backdoor of the home, they avoided stepping on anything.

When they both finally walked up onto the deck, Gaara slightly turned his head to survey his surroundings fully. The moonlight was proving to be enough to allow both of his group to see on this night, as there wasn't much to see. The house was closed off, right next to a forest, so there wouldn't be any interruptions. The closest home other than this one was a while away. Their future victim couldn't have much people living with him, and if he did, they likely wouldn't be able to pose much of a threat. Unless, by some off chance Naru-

Gaara suddenly grit his teeth, and then slid open the door to the back of the house himself. Before he could walk in, Kankuro took a quick look at the expression on the Kage's face, and then stepped in front of him. Gaara looked up towards him, and Kankuro simply frowned.

"Your rank is higher than mine," he whispered. While there weren't any lights on in the proximity, they had to be careful to not disturb things too much. There was always a chance of intervention. "I should go first. In case there are any traps."

The 5th Kazekage nodded, and then after the puppet master walked inside, he walked in behind him, closing the door slowly behind him.

_No lock for the back door? An advisor to a Kage cannot possibly be this stupid._

Gaara then turned back towards Kankuro, who was looking down the hallway they were standing in now. The house seemed… homely, to say the least. Some of the walls had illustrations of deer etched onto them, there were a few benches and shelves that lined the walls, and they all seemed to have books on them. One or two held a stray kunai or shuriken, and then man found himself huffing at this. There were two windows on either side of him now, and ahead to the side there was a series of rooms, before the hallway curved.

Kankuro slowly then reached into the pack that he was carrying on his back to take out one of his scrolls, but when Gaara noticed this, he simply lifted up a hand and shook his head.

"Wait until we see him. You might not even have to fight."

Kankuro paused, and then nodded. Preparing himself, he took a deep breathe, and then began to walk forwards slowly.

"So… just check every room?"

"Yes. And do not wake anyone else up."

"Yes."

Kankuro opened the first door to his right slowly, and saw a closet…


	10. Reapers

Meanwhile, in the living room, Shikamaru finally woke up.

The first thing he noticed was that the room he and Temari were now in was dark. After dinner, and having to deal with their snarky son throughout (although he did finally mellow out at the end of the meal), the two had returned to the living room, where he had _thought _they were going to do a few more rounds of shogi, before getting back to their bedroom for an extended sex session. He could see the evidence that they had at least _attempted _to leave the room, but the shogi board was still out, there were two half- empty bottles of sake next to it, he was lying on his back, and Temari's head was next to his, and her hand was on his chest, inside his kimono.

Eh.

And now it was probably too late for either of them to do anything frisky, but Shikamaru didn't find himself caring too much. His main objective of the anniversary, which was to have a nice and relaxing evening with his wife and not to let any outside influences affect that, had been reached. That's all that really mattered. Besides, there was plenty of time for more sex. Neither of them were particularly old.

But, he still had to get up. They both had to get up. Even if today _was _another day off for him, he needed to be able to be alert and able to offer any help possible in the morning. Even on a "peace period", they were still in a war. So, after sighing, the Nara clean head slowly removed his wife's hands from his body, and then rolled away from her. This motion caused him to hear his wife's snoring slowly stop, and it caused him to see her eyelids open, and her lovely green eyes open up, her pupils focusing on him.

"…Shika…?" She said. Her voice was still groggy, but all of the sleeping eliminated any trace of drunkenness from it. Shikamaru stood up to sit, and then nodded.

"Hm..?"

Temari slowly looked around her, and saw the same scene as Shikamaru. After a few moments, she let herself take a deep breath.

"…So we didn't get to… umm… fornicate?"

Shikamaru smirked slightly at her words.

"You always use big words when you're tired," he noted. He then felt a yawn come on, and he placed a hand in front of his mouth. After he yawned, he answered her question.

"No, we didn't. It's late… I guess we still have time if you still want to."

"Naa… we'll just… do so tomorrow or something."

"Ok." Shikamaru then looked towards the bottles of alcohol near the shogi table next to her, and then chuckled.

"I guess it was the booze."

"Yeah. It's always the booze."

"Whose idea was it to bring it out anyways?"

"Not mine."

Shikamaru extended a hand towards her, and Temari took it. He slowly helped her get up, and then when she was standing, he stood up too. The two then slowly went over to clean up their mess, Shikamaru taking care of the table, and Temari taking the glasses and bottles they were drinking from into the kitchen. When Shikamaru left the room to meet her there, he slid the door closed behind him, not caring about the moderate amount of noise it made. After Temari saw Shikamaru again, the two walked down the hallway to their room, with Shikamaru's arm around Temari's waist.

He opened the door to the room, and then closed it once the two were inside. This closing was a bit loud, but Shikadai slept like a rock. He wouldn't care much. He turned around, and then watched as Temari nearly immediately went into their closet, and began to set out each of their sleeping clothes. Shikamaru, on the other hand, idly brushed his beard, before he shrugged.

"Going to go shave a bit." He stated, before opening the doors to his room, and closing them again. Before he could leave, Temari's voice radiated.

"Alright."

And then he walked down his hallway again, hands in his folds, slowly, allowing himself to be a bit sluggish. He walked down towards the courtyard, and then slid open a particular door that lead into his bathroom. He flicked on the light, and then headed towards the sink.

He turned to his right and opened up a cupboard above his toilet, and took out his shaving kit. His beard usually wasn't so unruly that it needed a shave, but today it was. He was lazy, but he couldn't let himself appear unprofessional, especially with all of the time he spent around the Hokage.

He then turned to look himself in the mirror. There he was. Shikamaru Nara. Member of the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio, husband to Temari Nara, advisor to the 7th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, Head of the Nara clan. The man with an IQ of over 200. Here was his lightly wrinkled face, his dark brown eyes, his jet black hair tied into that pony tail, his thin eyebrows, the two earrings given to him by Asuma Sarutobi, his short black goatee.

Here he stood.

And, as Shikamaru reached forwards to grab the razor for his beard, his eyes left the mirror, preventing him from seeing the attack that came from behind.

But as he looked up in shock, back at the mirror that he had previously glanced in, his normally bored expression turned into one of horror as he saw a bit of his blood splatter onto the mirror in front of him…

And to see a large, silver spike sticking out of the right side of his chest.

And there he was. Shikamaru Nara. Member of the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio, husband to Temari of the Hidden Sand village, main commander of Konohagakure's Shinobi forces, 17th head of the Hidden village's Nara clan. Here he was with his blood slowly staining the mirror, the floor and his kimono, his face in a pained and confused state, his lips parted, trying to say something, at least groan, but nothing coming out. The man with an IQ of 200, but not even he could see this coming.

Here he stood, and here he would die.

He panicked, and quickly tried to place his hands into a seal, but quickly felt two long, strong arms constrict his movements. He looked down to see six more arms grip onto him, all brown, all of them wooden. His arms were tied closely to his body, and realising this, he tried to run forwards, but quickly found himself pulled back to the floor. A loud thud. He grit his teeth, the texture of whatever he was lying on, whatever had him constricted, wasn't smooth. And then, he felt himself being pulled out of the bathroom, and back down the hallway.

The process was slow. Torturously slow. The spike within his chest still remained, and as he moved he felt great pain. He kept on trying to yell, or trying to move something at all, but he couldn't do so at all. He was trapped. He was dragged past his room, dragged past his son's room. How lucky those two were, to be so naïve of what was going on inside their own home. At the very least now, whatever happened now… no. He had to get out of this bind.

So he struggled. There was no time for sentimental thinking at all, not anymore. Not while he was quite possibly being dragged to his death. He struggled with his might, pushing up against the arms that bound him. Even through the pain of being stabbed. Even through the pain of being so damn helpless.

It failed. He heard a door open, and then found himself outside in his own courtyard. The puppet released him, and he fell onto the deck. He shivered, but still found himself unable to speak out. And even if he had been able to, what would he have done? Cried for help? He couldn't bear to have Temari watch him die. His eyes shut for a while, but his struggle didn't end. He began to push his mind into overdrive, trying to figure out what was happening. Would he be able to fight? He didn't have any kunai on his person, he was wearing his kimono for god's sake. He still had his jutsu, but he didn't even know where the attacker was coming from.

He heard a door slide shut. He bit his bottom lip, and then rolled over, and pushed himself up onto his knees. Trying to stand up fully proved to be too much for him, and when he fell, he fell back onto his chest. He let out a silent cry when his wound was aggravated again, and then looked up again, his eyes frantically searching for his attacker. Eventually, he found something that was like that, standing up next to a wooden pillar. He could barely make it out, but he was able to recognize something about his attacker.

It was…Crow. The puppet… Crow. And it was being held by several, thin blue but still visible, chakra strings, which led behind the pillar.

Shikamaru's eyes slowly widened as the realization hit him. And as he felt more blood leave his body from the large, gaping wound in his chest, he allowed his eyes to close.

If Kankuro was here… then he really was going to die. But he wouldn't give up this easily.

As his hands shook in pain, he made his signature seal. Well, if he was going to die, at least one other person was going to die as well.

_Sorry Temari, but your brother's gone too far._

"Shadow… possession… jutsu."

He felt his shadow shoot out and watched as it tracked the owner of the puppet, but then slowly felt a few other things begin to crawl up his leg. Before he could get a lock, the feeling had completely enveloped his arms, and he looked down to see what it was…

And he discovered that his arms were now covered with sand. Shikamaru was now visibly trembling.

_Fuck._

And then when he heard another voice, he finally acknowledged that the chances of him ever getting out of this alive were slim to none.

"Cancel the jutsu, Shikamaru Nara, or I will have to break your arms."

Shikamaru breathed out.

_Gaara's here too?!_

And as Shikamaru looked in front of him, as opposed to up and upside down, Shikamaru saw the 5th Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand, standing at another pillar, leaned against it. He was looking directly at him, the downed man, and one of his hands was open. Shikamaru's heart rate increased by a tenfold.

"Either way, your jutsu ends. I am giving you an opportunity to die in less pain. Please, take it."

Shikamaru continued to use his jutsu. Even if Gaara was here, he couldn't stop. He couldn't just die like this.

Gaara closed his hand while Shikamaru looked away from him, and then slowly braced himself for the evitable result. Meanwhile, as he heard a loud, sickening snap, Shikamaru finally found the strength to really call out for help.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGH!"

Shikamaru's shadow stopped its search for Kankuro, and returned itself to its screaming master. This truly was the end for Shikamaru, in life and definitely in memory. Here he was. Konohagakure's Genius strategist, and he was dying on his back porch, about to be killed by some freak assassination mission. And during it, he couldn't even keep his mouth shut as not to scream, his feelings hidden as to not reveal his pain and frustration to his enemy. He couldn't even fight back. It was the perfect murder.

They… they used to be his _friends, _too.

They were his brothers in law, actually. They shouldn't even have been fighting. This entire war didn't even have to have started. This entire murder, all of the death and pain from those ten years of fighting, it could've ended years ago. It could've never have even started. They could've been a normal family. Kankuro and Gaara would be the cool uncles from the village 3 days away. Temari could've been the overbearing but loving mother, Shikamaru could've been the father that Shikadai would've wanted to grow up and become. They could've had… adult nights. They could've just grown up, they could've at least been friends.

Instead, here they were. The head of the Nara clan was lying on his back in pain, waiting for Gaara of the Desert and Kankuro of the Black Sand to finish him off and kill him. That's how it would go down in history.

Shikamaru couldn't move at this point, but continued to groan for a few more moments, before he went silent. By now, the blood that was coming from his wound was causing him to feel weak and tired, and all he wanted to do was sleep. If he simply gave up and slept, then the pain from his broken arms, the pain from his chest, and perhaps the pain of him dying like this would eventually fade away. But, despite all of this, he kept his eyes open.

His vision was hazy, and the lack of light wasn't helping, but he looked forwards, directly at Gaara, and simply stared at the man. Gaara wasn't wearing his Kage robes, instead he had chosen a long, red longcoat, with lots of pockets and zippers. His top had sleeves, and on his back Shikamaru could faintly make out his gourd. The same size as the one from the Chuunin exams. Shikamaru found himself smirking internally from the memory. Enemies then, and enemies now. The man's long, red hair had finally gotten to a length where it needed to be tamed, so Gaara had it collected into a ponytail, one that went down a bit of his neck. He also wore black fingerless gloves, the same tone as the rings that still lined his eyes. Small wrinkles altered his face, but there wasn't any facial hair to speak of.

Shikamaru tried to look around to see Kankuro, but was distracted by Gaara's voice.

"…It'll all be over soon, Shikamaru," he said. Shikamaru noticed that his voice had somehow gotten deeper from the last time he had seen him. He slowly focused his brown eyes on Gaara's pale ones, and the Kazekage of the Sand Village continued.

"We came personally. Admittedly, we were the only ones in the village who could make sure that you died. That… and you owe us a clarification, Nara."

Shikamaru grit his teeth. _Great, more questions. Troublesome…_

He heard Kankuro position himself a ways near his head. Shikamaru took another deep breath. Gaara spoke.

"…Where is Temari, Shikamaru?"

This question again.

Shikamaru's eyes drifted towards the house. Very fast, as to not give any attention. Temari. Temari was inside.

He then turned his eyes to face Gaara's again, and he coughed. Some of it was blood, and it simply came up onto his face. He was dying anyways. He wouldn't waste any time wiping it off.

"…I… don't… know…" Shikamaru lied. He couldn't betray her, not after ten years of marriage, ten years of memories, and seven years of their son. If she wanted to stay hidden from his brothers, then he would follow that wish. Hopefully, he would die before Kankuro or Gaara figured anything out.

Gaara growled, and then walked towards Shikamaru, slowly, stopping when he was standing at the fading man's feet. Kankuro came from behind Shikamaru, and stood so that he could see him as well, at his feet. Shikamaru silently noted that unlike Gaara, he hadn't changed much. His sideburns were gone, replaced by a slight stubble on his chin, his face paint was different, but he was still in his black outfit, and he still looked angry.

_I remember when he used to smile._

"Shikamaru, neither of us are stupid. Tell us what happened to her."

Shikamaru would fight it to the very end.

"F-f-fuck. Why do you two… think I know anything abou-."

He began to feel a familiar sensation. The sand that had broken his arms were slowly leaving them, and heading towards his face, stopping at his throat. Shikamaru shuddered. Gaara was going to choke him. That's how he was going to die. With a giant wound in his chest, two broken arms, and a snapped neck. And in the morning, either Temari or Shikadai would discover him here, sprawled out, with some stupid, dead look on his face.

His thoughts were interrupted by Gaara's voice again.

"Shikamaru… just tell us. Die telling the truth. "

Shikamaru coughed again, and now his face was full of blood. So were his lungs. In fact, Gaara's sand simply breaking his neck didn't seem so scary anymore.

Through weak lips, Shikamaru offered his final words.

"…Truth? You… you want the truth?"

Upon Gaara's nod, Shikamaru gave him a sickly smile.

"If… she was gone… for ten years… what… why do you think… she would want to… even if she was alive… want to see you again?"

That was it then. Kankuro's face slowly began to turn red with anger, but Gaara simply held up his other hand. If Shikamaru wouldn't give any clues on his deathbed, then he wouldn't be persuaded by any more torture.

Shikamaru felt Gaara's sand get tighter, and both Gaara and Kankuro turned away from him. At the very least, they weren't going to _watch _Shikamaru perish. And then, with pained expressions on their faces, Gaara slowly closed one of his palms, and Kankuro closed his eyes. Before Shikamaru closed his eyes in defeat, finally allowing himself to let go, Gaara spoke a few words.

"Then goodbye, Shikamaru Nara. Rest in peace."

Then, as his Kage's fist closed and his sand began to do their deed, Kankuro quietly mused.

"…'Cause we sure won't."

And then time seemed to slow for all of them. Shikamaru slowly felt Gaara's sad begin to close in and end his life, Kankuro and Gaara slowly began to feel the regret and pain from their actions. The old group of friends turned enemies was about to lose a member, and there was a feeling of loss and sadness that sprang throughout all three of them. While the brothers couldn't help but spend the final moments of the dying man's life reminiscing, Shikamaru couldn't help but fill his visions with all of the people he was failing. Temari. Shikadai. Choji. Ino. Mirai. Kurenai. Naruto. His village. The memories of Asuma, Shikaku, Yoshino and others. Everyone who had ever made a different or mattered in his life. How would they progress without him-.

"Ninja Art: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"


	11. Angel

"Ninja Art: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

Suddenly, the two brothers felt a torrent of wind harass their senses. Within a moment, they found themselves suffering from a few cuts, and each of them held their hands out in front of them. Gaara's defense was doing a decent job, but Kankuro couldn't keep the wind away. Eventually, their stances proved to be no use, and they found themselves being swept away, away from Shikamaru, and into the garden. Kankuro lands against the tree they had been hiding in earlier, while Gaara softens his landing with sand, amongst some flowers. As they both fell, a torrent of dust came up, limiting their vision of Nara.

The gust didn't affect Shikamaru. From his position on the deck, he was too low to feel anything. Although, the sand around his neck and his body were gone now. However, on the inside, his mind was going crazy. This outcome…didn't have a large chance to happen. The chance of it happening was minuscule. And yet it was. And…

This was one of the _bad _outcomes.

He began to hear footsteps near his head, and slowly opened his eyes to see the most beautiful, but at the same time, horrifying sight he could've seen.

Temari Nara was rushing towards him, with her giant fan showing one star.

She immediately kneeled to his side, and began to inspect his wounds. He felt her hands graze over his chest wound, and watched as her face slowly became pained. Just like his own mind. And, after reading the look on Shikamaru's face, she began to feel sick to her stomach.

"I'm sorry. I should've come earlier. I had to get my fan, and then make sure that Shikadai wasn't affected. Then I came. I'm so-."

"Woman," Shikamaru began, his voice still weak. While he spoke, Temari frantically ripped the right sleeve of his Kimono, and then slightly lifted her husband so that she could wrap the fabric around him.

"Shikamaru, _**shut up.**_ I don't need any of your bullshit right now."

The Nara clan head narrowed his eyes, and then gave a quiet yelp when his wife finished dressing his wound, and pulled it tight. At this, Temari allowed herself to smirk at him.

"Still a crybaby, huh?"

Shikamaru nearly snapped.

"Do you think this is a game?!" He growled. "You, you've got to get out of here-."

"I'm not going anywhere. Not without you. I've already called the authorities. They'll be here in a while. Then you can get some real medical attention."

"Woman-."

"You're going to live, Shikamaru." Temari ripped the bottom of her Yukata, and then began to wrap both of Shikamaru's arms together.

"Now who did this to you?"

"You have… get back into the house!"

"Good! Then brace yourself, we're going in together. Then, once you're safe, I'll-."

"Love please-."

"Shika,-."

"_Do you even know who you're fighting against?!" _

Temari paused.

"No."

She began to slug Shikamaru over her shoulder. She turned to the door. It was still open.

"We're going in. Brace yourself."

Shikamaru grit his teeth. This is why it was the worst scenario. Temari was in danger now. They all were in the danger now.

Loyalty and love… that shouldn't cause things to get worse. But of course, in the messed up world they lived in now, it did.

Before Temari could even stand up with her husband, a single voice broke her entire thought process. A voice that she had sworn that she would have never hear ever again. That deep, yet gentle voice, with practiced command, yet practiced persuasion…

"…Temari?"

And with that one name, Shikamaru closed his eyes in pain.

_And now it ends._

Temari looked up towards the voice, into where the dust cloud had finally settled, and when she saw her brother, she instantly understood Shikamaru's previous franticness, completely. Knowing that she couldn't just simply leave now, she slowly placed Shikamaru down, but not in the place he had been before. This spot was next to the door. In case anything happened, at least Shikamaru would be closer to safety now. As his back met the wooden deck again, her husband's face slowly tensed, until his eyes idly went towards Temari, and she gave him a small, wounded smirk. Almost as if she was saying _I'll be fine, Shika. Just stay here. _

That… confidence. Lying confidence. Shikamaru had always found that part of her dangerous.

She turned her head to the voice to see her youngest brother, Gaara of the Desert, standing there Just… standing there. Straight up. His mouth slightly agape at the sight in front of him. Looking mostly the same way she had left him. Except there were a few more wrinkles on his face now, his hair was longer, but other than that, he still looked the same. His outfit was different, but the gourd was the same. And he was now staring up at her, on the higher ground on the deck, his pale eyes almost peering into her soul.

And it hit her again. For the… millionth time. She _left _them. She had _left _her _little_ brothers. She… she _betrayed_ them.

She slowly closed her fan, sticking it into the deck so that there was now a hole where it stood. Her stance was tall, and she focused her eyes into Gaara's. She couldn't appear weak now, not while Shikamaru was still in grave danger, not while Shikadai was still inside. But… she couldn't bring herself to truly face her brothers now. It had been too long. After ten years… what would she even say? Would she apologise for pretending to be dead? Would she apologise for leaving so abruptly? Would she apologise for marrying and sleeping with the man who was their greatest adversary?

And this position. Gaara standing over in their garden, the full moon's light shining on his face. He was just standing there now, alone. And she was standing on the deck, with a family and security. Her mind drifted. Did he even have a family? How close was he to Kankuro now? And what of her other brother? Was he here as well? Did he have loved ones?

Or where the both of them simply frozen in time, waiting to confirm what had happened to her so that they could move on? Despite her eyes meeting Gaara's... she couldn't find any answers in them. She silently wondered if her eyes were revealing anything-.

She heard Shikamaru's breathing stagger, and her eyes briefly left Gaara's to look at her love. Her mate. Her husband. Her closest friend. The one she had left her village for. She looked over his body slowly, making sure tht she had at least covered all of his major wounds. His "bandages" were a dark green colour now, he was still bleeding. But, his wounds were covered. They were coming. She had bought him more time. But, she needed to get him inside.

When she turned her head back towards Gaara, she ended up pausing again. Because he wasn't standing alone now. Next to him, she could see a brown lump of… something, on the ground beside him. But that wasn't the thing that made her shudder, and freeze up with pain and guilt.

No, it was her _other _brother, Kankuro, standing next to him now. His face resembled a starving, angry dog's.

She couldn't even begin to meet _his_ eyes. After 29 years of looking after her brother, she just upped and left him. The feelings she would've gotten would've caused her to burn on the inside.

But, she couldn't protect herself from his _voice. _She watched as his own eyes slowly widened with anger, in the same way that their late father's had, and his voice projected towards her, laden with a verbal poison.

"…Temari… _**what **_are you doing here!?"

Temari bit her bottom lip. His voice rung through her mind just as Gaara's had. She had to say _something _to them. She had to do _something. _

"…I was about to ask the same." She lied. A simple deduction of images, her husband dying on his back porch, the presence of both Gaara and Kankuro, the darkness of the night, the fact that the two villages were still at war. She knew exactly what was going on. They were here to kill her husband.

Meanwhile, she had hoped that at least one of her brothers would've figured out why _she _was here, by now, allowing her to not have to explain the answer to Kankuro's question. She couldn't explain well, and it would eventually cause her to feel moods that she wished to keep away from her now. But what would be worse? Her admitting to her sins, her betrayal and her actions, or them figuring it out themselves?

_If only there had been another way…_

After a few moments, she slowly saw Gaara shake. His head lowered to the ground, and he closed his eyes. This wasn't a good sign. Kankuro's eyes slowly turned to his brother's, and Gaara spoke again. Slowly. Darkly.

"… You left us for him."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. He had figured it out, that quickly. Temari slowly nodded her head, and gripped her fan. Gaara could almost feel his sister admit to it, and began to shake even more. Kankuro took a deep breathe, and tried out one of his own suspicions.

"…You're married to him."

Temari nodded again. Kankuro's anger seemed to intensify, and his jaw tightened. He spoke again.

"…You've been here… the entire time."

Another slow nod. By now, Temari was fighting back tears. Gaara's hands had went to his face. Kankuro's face continued to darken. He spoke once again.

"…You've been helping him… helping… _**them.**_"

Finally, Temari spoke again.

"I've helped him with some strategies, I told them an ingredient to one of your poisons, that one you always used, so that _he_ could live. That's it. I… why… why would I directly go against my own village? That's not who I am."

"And yet you're standing here, with _**him."**_

__Temari went silent again. Her eyes lowered, and her brows relaxed. Kankuro's eyes were almost murderous now. Gaara's eyes were still closed.

A few moments of silence passed between the siblings, before Temari heard Shikamaru's breathing slowly normalize. She turned her head slightly to check on him, her instincts as his wife beginning to take over, before she heard Kankuro's harsh voice bring her back.

"Turn back around sis."

Before she turned back to look at Kankuro. Her eyes idly turned back to Shikamaru's wounded body, before she heard Kankuro bark at her again.

"Hey! We're over here!"

Temari's sorrowful expression quickly turned into one of anger, to match Kankuro's. She couldn't do this. She was reminded that she was against her own damn brothers. She desperately wanted this to end.

"Just… just get out of here, Kankuro. You too, Gaara. You… you know as well as I that me being here doesn't change shit. You're still going to try and kill him_._"

She took a step closer to her husband, before Gaara's voice returned to the fray. He spoke through his hands, and yet his voice was still loud and clear.

"Just… why? Why did you have to do this?"

Temari took a breath.

"I could ask you the same thing-."

"No, you could _**not**_," Gaara snapped. He had stopped shaking, and he slowly pulled his hands away from his face.

"… I did what was best for my, _our _people, Temari."

Upon the words being spoken, both Kankuro and Temari felt a spark go off in their minds. This topic again. The topic of which, before the war, had always made each of them go to sides. Gaara's eyes viewed into Temari's, and she slowly grit her teeth.

"No, you didn't, Gaara."

"Yes I did." His voice was clear and confident, and wasn't shaking as hers was.

"You didn't."

"He did, sis," Kankuro interrupted. Unlike Gaara's but alike Temari's, his voice was shaking. With the same emotion that Temari's was. Fury.

"We… we all went through all of the possibilities."

"But the one you two chose was the worst one."

There was another sudden silence. This time, it was interrupted by the same one who had started it.

"…They didn't do it, Gaara."

"For fuck's sake, this again," Kankuro snarled. In the moonlight, the look on his face was a horrifying thing to watch.

"You… you still believe that shit? After all of these years?!"

Temari closed her eyes, and nodded slowly. Kankuro flared even more.

"They have no _**proof, sis!**_"

"And yet you were so dead-set on the idea that it was them."

"Their _**fucking **_headbands!"

"Which were easily framed-."

"Our _**fucking **__blood on our own __**fucking **__streets!_"

Temari's expression darkened.

"You think I'm denying that those people died?!"

Kankuro gave out a harsh laugh.

"No, I think that you're being _**dense **_and ignoring the truth."

"You know as well as I that Konohagakure was always a prime target for false fla-."

"And now we were supposed to have believed some fucking false flag theory," Kankuro began to tap one of his feet.

"Some fucking false flag theory, that doesn't even sound right. We were supposed to put the vengeance for the lives of hundreds of people on some fucking _**theory!"**_

__Temari took a deep breath.

"A theory from our _friends, _Kankuro."

At which, Kankuro completely combusted. He was shouting at this point. And his face was so red he looked like a demon.

"Friends don't stab each other in the back."

"They never di-."

"Friends don't stab each other in the fucking back, Temari. How many times do I have to repeat this?!"

"They never did those acts how many times do I have to repeat that?!"

"Their Hokage ordered it! They are Ninja! They stand under their Kage!"

"Fuck off, Kankuro."

Kankuro paused, and then narrowed his eyes at his older sister.

"_**What **_did you say to me?"

"Kankuro, just turn around and get out of here."

"Oh, now you're ordering me around like you're my superior or something! Why, is it because I'm close to the _**truth?!"**_

"No, because you're just telling lies. You don't even believe in what you're saying right now."

"And I'm supposed to believe that you do?"

Temari took a deep, loud breath.

"_**Kankuro, he was Gaara's first friend. If he said it wasn't them, then it wasn't them."**_

__At this, she saw Gaara's eyes widen, his expressionless face gone. Kankuro paused in his tracks, and he went silent for a while. But what was the most interesting was what was going on with Gaara.

The Kazekage slumped his shoulders back, and after a while, his eyes looked suddenly tired, and he found himself lowering his gourd to stand up behind him, before leaning back on his weapon. Kankuro looked towards him, and his eyes filled with worry before the man simply held up a hand, wordlessly dismissing him. Meanwhile, Gaara spent a few more moments just standing there, his thoughts elsewhere from Shikamaru and Temari's garden, and instead in the inner reaches of his mind.

Temari couldn't help herself. She saw her brother in pain, but she had to get her words off her chest. As Gaara seemed to be drifting off into himself, she spoke again. Her voice was soft.

"Remember… Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara? He… he was your best friend. Do you remember? Do you remember the person you used to be? Do you remember the person you were after him? You… you went through so much progress, Gaara. You used… you used to be a monster. But now you're the Kazekage of the Wind. He changed you, brother. Into the man you are now. And you're… you're still a great man, Gaara. But, you've made mistakes. Made some, messes. But that doesn't mean you still can't clean them up."

A few more moments of silence went by. Gaara seemed to have heard Temari, but her words needed to be processed by him. So Temari waited. Kankuro waited as well, leaning up against the tree that he had crashed against. Temari eventually sat herself near her husband, and slowly and silently checked his wounds. Shikamaru had seemed to be out, and his bandages hadn't soaked any harder in his blood. Upon realising this, she allowed herself to smile slightly. At least he would be okay. As long as she could keep him away from her brothers.

Idly, she moved a hand to brush over one of his. She suspected he couldn't feel it, but it didn't matter to her. She still gripped his hand. She needed to be at least able to touch her husband right now.

She was surprised when his eyes slightly opened to look at hers.

She let out a small gasp, before he slowly hushed her, using whatever strength he still had at this point to still speak to her.

"…Are they gone…?"

His voice was uncharacteristically puny and silent. At this, she shook her head slowly.

"Still working on that. Don't worry, everything'll be fine."

His face slowly turned into one of sorrow.

"…Get out of here," he pleaded. His lips could barely move, but he continued.

"Shika…Shikadai needs his mother,"

Temari could tell that her time to speak with her husband was running out. She shook her head slowly, thinking deeply of her child son, and gave her own account.

"He needs his father more."

Shikamaru closed his eyes, finally defeated. She… was stubborn. So, stubborn. So damn independent too.

For once… why couldn't she just _listen_ to him?

As Shikamaru dozed off, Temari slowly moved to give him a kiss on one of his cheeks. He was cold, so cold. Whatever she was doing here, she had to hurry up and finish it quickly, lest he get too cold.

She stood back up to face her brothers to see that Gaara was standing up again, and his gourd was back on his back. Kankuro had been watching her, and his eyes had narrowed, his face slowly returning to its original colour. Gaara looked at her, took a deep breath, and then spoke.

"…Naruto Uzumaki… I…"

His voice drifted off for a few moments. For the first time in the meeting, he was showing some sort of emotion. His face was convoluted, and his mouth was into a strong, regretful frown. He breathed for a while, before trying again.

"…I am a Kage, Temari. I cannot just trust him with such little evidence."

And that was the end of that, it seemed. Temari's face turned into one of disappointment. Not even the memory of Naruto Uzumaki could stop her brother now. Now, she had ideas of what would happen now. She… either way, she had to defend Shikamaru now. She had to defend her son. She had to hold her ground.

She slowly reached her fingers over to her fan, and took it out of the hole she had made. She watched as Kankuro slowly flicked his fingers, and as his puppet stood up. Gaara stood up tall, his decision made.

Now it was time for the part that would be the most difficult. Gaara cleared his throat, and then removed all emotion from his face, before he spoke loud and clear.

"Temari… Shikamaru Nara is going to die today. Please, move out of the way."

Temari opened her fan slightly, so that one of her stars was visible.

"No." She didn't even have to think about it.

Gaara paused for a moment, before speaking again.

"Sister, simply turn away and we will end his misery."

"No. I can't let you kill him. Go home, Gaara. Take Kankuro with you."

Her voice was as firm as his. Gaara slowly narrowed his eyes, and his next words were slow.

"…Temari, _that man_ won't suffer long if you simply just-."

"He's my _husband_, Gaara. And I can't let you do that."

"For fuck's sake, Temari, just get out of the way!" She heard Kankuro shout. Her eyes slowly drifted to him, and she noted that his face was getting red. Again.

"What… just what are you… _**are you out of your mind!?**_ You did all of this… it was for _**him,**_ wasn't it!?"

Temari's eyes widened suddenly, before they narrowed. She grit her teeth.

"Fuck off, Kankuro."

"You always get like that when I'm onto the _**truth, **_Temari!"

"I said fuck off, Kankuro!"

"Tell me, how it feels, Temari!? To sit here all day, just waiting for him to come home-."

"Shut the hell up, Kankuro!"

"- And then when he returns, you fucking let him bang your brains out! You two kiss and all of that shit! You _**fucked **_the guy who's been conspiring against your own__village Temari!"

"And what were you doing, Kankuro!?"

"I can tell you without lying, Temari. I've been fighting and working for my village, Temari. Our village, sis. While you've been hiding out here _**fucking **_Nara!"

"No you haven't! You've been fucking over everything! You've been burning bridges more than a demolition-man!"

"I've been protecting my damn-."

"_**You've been dismantling everything we spent our youth fighting for! Or did you forget that?! Did you forget all of those years!? Did you forget all of that?!"**_

__"They started the war-."

"You were the ones to declare war!"

"In self defense-."

"Why would Naruto ever lie to you!? Why would your friends ever li-."

"Your faith in him's torn this family apart-."

"_**You're the ones who tore it apart!**_"

Both Kankuro and Temari paused at this. By now, their shouting had probably woken someone up, and it had surely riled whatever peace and tranquility there had been in the Nara compound. Neither of them could possibly care now, however. There was so much to get off each of their chests.

Temari slowly leaned on her fan, and continued, breathing deeply from all of her arguing earlier.

_**"**_I didn't… you…do you think I _**liked **_having to leave you two in Sunagakure? Do you think I _**liked **_having to hide from you two!? Do you think I _**liked **_having to stand on this side of the war, having to just sit there and be so helpless and useless?! Do you think this is what I wanted from my life!? Well it _**wasn't.**_ I could've been so much more, things could've been so much better, had you two had just… they were your _**friends**_."

Temari took a deep breath, and found herself suddenly feeling extremely weak. The look on Kankuro's face slowly rescinded, and calmed, while Gaara's stayed emotionless. As per usual. For a while, each of the siblings began to slowly reflect on exactly what was going on, before Kankuro broke the silence.

"…You're acting as if we _**like**_ burning bridges, Temari."

As he slowly saw a bit of fire return to his sister's eyes, he slowly continued.

"…Neither of us exactly _like _war-."

"Then end it."

The brother clenched his teeth.

"You know _why _we can't do that, sis."

Temari was about to answer, before Kankuro beat her to it.

"Don't even say 'Yes you can'. Because you _know _we can't." His voice resumed its' shaking.

Gaara began to lean on one of his legs. Temari noticed this, but kept on paying attention to her middle brother. With a sigh, she rejoined the conversation.

"…Ten years," she mused. Her eyes slowly softened, and she looked from both Kankuro to Gaara once again.

She could hear Kankuro take a deep breath from the deck she was standing on.

"Yeah, that's a decade."

"Everything's so different now…" She drifted off. Kankuro was the one to bring her back to reality.

"You've gotten taller."

"Thanks. So have you two."

"Thanks." Gaara's voice had become foreign to the conversation, him having been silent for most of it. The Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village slowly stood up again, and looked past his sister, towards the house that she had come out of. The Nara Head's residence. After a few moments of staring and considering, his eyes returned to his sister.

"…You have a big house."

Temari inspected the statement before answering it.

"Yes, I, _we _do have a large house," she said. Her voice gave off a slightly proud tone. Gaara idly noticed this, and then slowly went on.

"Tell me. Do you have any children with… _him _… Temari?"

Temari found herself having to consider answering the question. On one hand, she knew that Gaara would never harm a child, and especially if that child was his own flesh and blood. On another hand, she wondered how this information would impact his future actions. Perhaps revealing the existence of her son would persuade him to leave her husband alone. Or perhaps… it would make it worse.

She nodded her head slowly after a few instants. She would take a chance. This was her brother. What was the worst that could possibly happen if he knew?

"One. A boy. He's seven."

"…Mm… a mirror image of his father, or you?"

"Him. He has my eyes though."

"… I… I see."

Gaara slowly drifted off into his new knowledge and stayed quiet. His eyes scanned over the area and his body stayed still. After a while, he settled his eyes on Temari's, and she slowly felt herself begin to shiver within herself. Kankuro could tell that he needed a chance to think, and so decided to distract Temari with some idle conversation as well, also being careful of what he revealed to her.

"…I have children too," he said. His eyes turned to her, and slowly softened. Once again, the red faded from his face.

The news slowly made Temari's eyes widen. She _could _see it happening to him, but at the same time, it was a bit of a stretch for her to see Kankuro become a family man. Perhaps… maybe if he actually had found that special someone, then this wasn't a lie. _So much progress in ten years…_ After a moment or two, she slowly allowed herself to give her brother a light, teasing smile at the news.

"So you finally found someone who could put up with you, huh? And put up with you to the point where she'd have multiple kids with you?"

Kankuro nodded slowly, and after a moment, smiled back at his sister.

"Yeah. Come on, I'm not _that _bad, am I?"

Temari let out a harsh chuckle. "You sort of are."

"Well, I guess that makes my progress even more special, doesn't it?"

Kankuro paused for a moment, and let himself lean against the tree behind him. He remembered another detail of his life, and, after considering for another moment, spoke it aloud.

"You know who my wife is, too."

"Really? I never got a letter-."

"Remember Shiori, sis?"

Temari's eyes slowly widened at the name. And then she remembered.

Kankuro and Gaara weren't the only ones she had left back in Sunagakure.

As the memories began to flood back to her, she found herself once again zoning out of the conversation. Shiori of the Hidden Sand. Two years her junior, Jonin, member of the Puppet Core. Poisons specialist. Veteran of 49 S-Ranked missions. High scores in Ninjutsu.

Of _course_ that was the type of woman Kankuro would get with.

She sighed, and then turned back to look at Kankuro.

"Took you long enough. You've known her for, what, seventeen years?"

"You knew Shikamaru for longer."

Temari nodded. "That's true." Her curiosity began to take over a bit, and Temari found herself asking Kankuro even more questions, even though in reality she should have done differently. Within her mind, she mentally ticked down the minutes before the backup she had called would arrive. Hopefully.

"How long have you two been married?"

"Five years. You?"

"Almost ten."

Kankuro found himself cringing, and his teeth grit slowly. _She got married so soon after she left? _

But she had more questions. Temari ignored the expression on Kankuro's face, and simply shook her head in light disbelief.

"Still… don't' get it. You… married? With kids?"

"Alright, so the kids part wasn't exactly planned…"

"Her idea?"

"Not really. The first was an accident. The other one… I don't know. Sort of just came up."

Temari slowly finished understanding it, and smiled a bit brighter on her brother's behalf.

"Well, congratulations. Although I'm much too late for that."

"Never too late for t-."

"Temari, why don't you come back with us?"

Both Kankuro and Temari's faces turned to look at the newest voice to their conversation. Gaara had re-entered the reunion, his voice had been firm and confident, and the Kazekage was now looking at his sister, from her position on the deck. She looked down at him, and her eyes slowly widened with confusion at his words.

Kankuro leaned off the tree he had begun to lean on, and Gaara continued to speak. His tone soon became warm and inviting, but Temari stayed on edge. She hadn't forgotten what her brothers had tried to do earlier, after all.

"No one else in the Hidden Sand Village knows of your status, Temari. They simply think that you are dead. If you returned… we would make some sort of story of where you had been for all this time. You could simply just reintegrate into our village, our home, and eventually, when the war finally ends, things could go back to the way they were. You could bring your son with you, of course. He has cousins and uncles in our village, and you are his mother. If you'd like, we could re-establish you as ambassador to the Hidden Leaf village, or you could just retire and do something else. We are your brothers, we would make sure that you and your son would be fine. And finally… we could all be together again. Us three siblings, with our families, living in our village together. I mean… we have missed you, sister. And have you not missed us, as well?"

As Gaara's voice faded, Temari's mind began to work once again. She… had missed her brothers. Their family had been torn in two because of the war, and yes. It was important that Shikadai eventually met the rest of his family. She longed to see her brothers again, and to catch up on each of their lives, just as she was sure that they wanted to do with her.

But there was also so much wrong, so very much wrong with Gaara's proposal. So while Temari nodded slowly, when her lips widened again to respond, it was simply a single, but yet very important, question.

"But what about Shikamaru?"

She could see Kankuro's eyes darken again, while Gaara's struggled to stay calm and collected, as she usually saw them. Gaara began to speak, but Kankuro's voice, deepening again, spoke before him.

"He dies, Temari."

And then whatever happiness, reminiscing and relaxation from the area in which the three stood left, as they had left the eye of the storm, and were now going back into its violent edges.

"Then no deal." Temari's voice was firm. Her eyes briefly flashed back to the figure of her husband lying near their backdoor, and then her eyes returned to her brothers. Kankuro's face tensed.

"You didn't…. you didn't even spend any time thinking it through-."

"I… I told you two that I wasn't going to let you kill him. And if this offer ends with him dying, then I'm sorry, but I'm not going through with it. I decline."

As Gaara's face slowly began to turn dark, Kankuro's face reddened. Again.

"Did you hear any of it, Temari? Isn't… isn't that what you want? We… we could be a whole family again! But instead you're just focused on this _one, man-_."

"What part of **'he's my husband' **do the both of you understand?! As his wife, my loyalties lie with him first and foremost. That's what happens when you get married."

"- For… it's a chance to be together again, Temari! Like we all were before the war! Don't you want that? Don't you wan-."

"_**I do! **_But exactly how am I supposed to simply forget that the last ten years happened!? How am I supposed to simply forget how you two declared war and then began to attack your friends!? How-."

"Back onto _**THAT **_bullshit again, are we? How are we supposed to convince you to our side if it's been a decade and you _**still **_believe their nonsense about that event with no true proof otherwise?"

Both of their voices began to raise. Gaara simply stayed out of the argument, but on the inside of himself he began to feel sickness. A sickness to his chest, a sickness to his mind. A sickness to his heart.

Out of everyone here, he wanted things to return to how they used to be before the war had started the most. And there seemed to be no way to convince his sister over to his side. Not while Shikamaru's death was still a term of engagement for him and his brother.

He heard Temari grit her teeth, and found himself looking at her once again. She and Kankuro were still fighting.

"Kankuro, you _**know **_that they didn't do it. Why would _**Naruto **_lie to _**Gaara **_about something as serious as that?!"

"We're Shinobi. Lies and decie-."

"Kankuro, you don't even believe what you're sayin-."

"And how would you know that?" He snapped. His voice suddenly got louder by volumes, and by now his face was flushed red again.

"This is… I can't believe this, Temari! Just… You value _him _over _us?_ You trust _them _over _your own village!? _Where did any of this come from!? And now… you're just… get out of the way!"

"I've been repeating this over and over again, I'm _not _moving! I'm _not _going to let him die!"

Kankuro took a deep breath, and then began to breathe deeply.

"You… just-."

"Kankuro, if you were told to just stand by and watch _your _wife die, would you do so?"

And suddenly, Kankuro went silent. He turned his eyes to Gaara, who was still watching the situation, but now the man's eyes were beginning to be glossed over with some emotion between anger and sorrow. Temari, standing on the deck as she was, slowly turned her head to look at Shikamaru's body. She could still see him breathe, slow and shallow, and his gasping was audible from where she stood. She was running out of time. The people she had called were running out of time as well.

She turned back to Kankuro to see his eyes glossed over in confusion. His anger was still there, but his eyes were looking away from hers directly, instead focusing on some other part of her face, trying to avoid her eyes. He wanted to speak, but found himself unable to. Unfortunately for him, Temari would speak anyways.

"Well?! Answer me! Would you just stand there as the mother of your children, your lover, and your goddamn soul mate was in danger?! Especially if you knew that you could protect her?!"

"My… this is false equivalence and you know it! My wife would never do anything to warrant, she would be careful- For fuck's sake-."

"Just admit it! You'd be doing the same damn thing that I'm doing right now!"

"Fuck it, sis you _know_ what he means to Konoha-."

"And he means even _**more to me**_. And just as much to my son. I can't let you kill him. That's the end of it all. If… you say his death will end the war. Well… what if whatever plan you two have fails!? Then he would have died for nothing. Then you would have killed _my _husband for nothing! Just…"

Temari's voice faded away. Kankuro's eyes diverted from her face, and he found himself looking around his surroundings, trying to buy some time. Gaara's eyes slowly closed, and his mind began to work again. All three of them were at a crossroad now. Temari wouldn't move. Gaara and Kankuro wouldn't leave until Shikamaru was dead. It was becoming more and more predictable that the three would come to blows.

The three sibling genin team. The three children of the 4th Kazekage. They would have to fight each other over opposing ideals, opposing sides of a war, and opposing missions. Opposing sentiments. Opposing beliefs. It was a giant mess. And each of them knew, because of each of their great reserves of power…

One of them could die.

Finally, the sound of Kankuro's cough shook the area. Despite having visited the Hidden Leaf Village frequently over the years, he still had issues with the cold autumn air. He slowly moved his eyes to the moon, to the sky, and noticed how beautiful the stars were, before noticing how the time was passing. They had most likely caused some sort of commotion with their attempt on Shikamaru's life earlier, and their argument had been loud, and had taken up time. They had to end this, before authorities could be notified, before someone else could interfere.

He then moved his eyes to Gaara to see that the 5th Kazekage's pupils were visible once again, and he was looking directly at Temari. He looked tired, and it made sense if he was. Both he and Gaara had been going at it all day. Add that with the emotional trauma that they were all going through now, and it was obvious what the cure was. They needed rest. This needed to end now. They needed to finish killing Shikamaru, rendezvous with the others, and then head home.

It was an indignity that their sister would not be coming back with them.

Kankuro's eyes turned to Temari's. He looked her right in the eyes, and she didn't let up her gaze either. A typical staring contest between the two older siblings. Temari. The closest thing the man ever had to a Mom, in a way. His companion in another way, the first 16 years of their lives had been spent looking after each other when no one else would. His flesh and blood. His big sister.

If only things had been different. Then, perhaps their reunion after so long could've been filled with more smiles. Then perhaps the three of them could still hang out with one another, on the days that Gaara could find some time off of work. They could've been true uncles and aunts to each other's children, they could've expanded their family. They could've ruled and worked in Sunagakure as a family, as comrades. Things could've been so great.

But of course, there was the could have been, and there was the reality. There was what was happening now. There was what would happen. And the look that the two elder siblings gave each other made each of them understand what exactly the happen was.

Finally, Gaara spoke again. His chest pulsated, and his voice was heavy, burdened with feelings that he normally never felt, combined with the stress and suffering that came with being Kazekage, and the pain and suffering that was his life now. Temari's eyes left Kankuro's to look at her youngest brother's the moment she heard his voice re-emerge.

"…Temari… don't make us have to hurt you."

Temari took a deep breath in, and then exhaled, both actions in the same manner as her husband smoked.

"…I'm sorry, Gaara, Kankuro, but you're going to have to-."

"_**Please, Temari.**_"

Her eyes softened, and her face darkened. Gaara _never _sounded like this at all, and she could feel herself break under the pressure, the shame and the disgrace of what she was making her brothers do. Even the reassurance that she was protecting her spouse, protecting her son's father, didn't help her.

And _this _was the reason that she had never said goodbye. This was the reason why she had hoped that she would never have to face them again. This was the reason why she had kept trying to make them leave during the entire encounter, and kept trying to leave herself.

Because for the first time in her life, Temari couldn't handle the _reality _of her situation. And now, finally, it seemed that she couldn't _hide _from the reality either. She was trapped.

They all were.

She fought back tears as she shook her head. Her fingers slowly moved the folds of her giant fan apart, and she slowly went into her usual battle stance. From the moonlight, she could see Gaara's hands relax at his sides, and she could see Kankuro shake his head as well, before he began to start his signature jutsu. She took a deep breath, and finally, she finished saying her piece.

"I _**can't **_let you do this, Gaara. You're going to have to go through me if you want to get to Shikamaru. I'm… sorry that it has to be this way. But this is how it has to be."

She could hear sand slither out of Gaara's gourd, and she watched in horror as his face, at first, struggled to understand what she said, before finally watching his teeth clench, and his eyes narrow. Just like their father's had, so many times in the past.

"... Then we're sorry, Temari."


	12. The Weasel, The Raccoon and The Fawn

_AN: I forgot to mention that I really can't write fight scenes at all, so I'll just start off from after the climax of the battle. I'll come back and fix the fighting scene later, once I get more comfortable with writing about 3 siblings fighting each other. This part might be a little longer than the others. And it might take me a while to finish writing the next part. Either way, let's continue._

"_**HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHK! DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!"**_

The adrenaline within Temari's mind subsided immediately. Gaara momentarily stopped his sand, and quickly, the two turned their heads turned to see the source of the swearing and the screams. And, then, Temari truly learned the extent of her strength, and the danger that laid within it.

What they saw on, thrashing, shouting and cursing on the floor of the garden, his blood being illuminated by the moonlight and his voice piercing the silent night…

Was their brother, Kankuro. With the leg that once helped prop up the left side of his body missing, and a pool of blood beginning to form around where his leg _should _have been.

Temari's mouth slowly opened with shock, and within seconds, she saw Gaara lose the rest of his composure that he had, and run over to where Kankuro was struggling. Her mind began to gloss over with guilt, and she simply could only stay there, standing with her giant fan in her hand, completely shocked at what she had done.

Her wind had… cut one of her brother's legs off. She had become that strong. And… that was her own _brother_.

She slowly moved to him as well, before she felt a grip on her legs. She fell down forwards, landing on her chest, before she felt herself being lifted up. She quickly looked around her, and saw that it was sand. Gaara's sand. She tried to move, but her fan had been lost on the ground while she was being carried, and soon the sand began to cover the rest of her body, before stopping at her neck.

It didn't take her long to realise exactly what was going on.

Her eyes moved towards Kankuro, to see that he had, for the most part, stopped screaming, and instead was lying in the dirt, his face down. She scanned the battle stage for her other brother, before finding Gaara standing near him. The look on his face made Temari immediately cringe, and while Gaara seemed to be looking at her, she didn't notice any true focus in his eyes. His breathing was heavy, she could hear it from where she was suspended in the air, and then finally, she noticed that, on one of his sides, one of his hands was open.

She finally realised what was happening. And the horror of what was going to happen was now assaulting her psyche.

Her eyes widened, and she let out a shout, before she saw Gaara close his hand into a fist. A few moments passed, before she felt the sand around her contract, and grip her until she began to break. Almost as if she had been set on fire.

**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!"**

She still couldn't move. She couldn't feel her feet, she could barely feel her arms. Her screams filled the void that Kankuro's had left earlier. She felt herself immediately drop to the ground, face first, and found herself too weak to scream once again. As the rest of her body failed to move, she frantically moved her eyes around, blinking, desperately trying to stay awake. Trying to understand exactly what was happening, and what had happened.

Her eyes finally found her brothers. The moonlight was doing a decent job, but she could now only barely see the outlines of their bodies, and the red of Gaara's hair. She could hear shuffling, she could see the younger brother slug the older one over his shoulder. With the few senses of texture that she still possessed, she could feel some of the sand that had constricted her body slowly move away from her, hear it slowly leave her body. She still couldn't move. Her eyes slowly moved to watch where the sand was going, and she watched as some of it began to move away from her body, and head towards…

Her husband's unconscious form.

She immediately began to panic even more than she already was. She cursed herself, within her mind, and tried to move even more than she was doing already. She couldn't just lay there and let this happen. She kept on blaming herself within her mind. She wasted too much time on her emotions, too much time on her brothers. Her first and only priority should've been to protect him. To protect her husband, and her son's father.

Her eyes glossed over with pain. She tried to cry out again, as she had before, but found herself unable to. Her eyes moved from the sand back towards Gaara, now with Kankuro fully over his shoulder, standing up tall on the outskirts of their garden. She wanted to scream something at him. She would've pleaded. She couldn't just let him do this. She couldn't just let him-

Sudden, she felt a pop go off in her chest.

She opened her mouth again, but this time nothing came out. The pain in the rest of her body began to fade compared to the new one that had begun in her chest. Soon, she quickly found herself unable to even look around, her vision began to fade away. With the remaining view that she had, she focused her eyes on Gaara's hands, trying to see what he would do. He was making the usual hand-signals, beckoning his sand on and on…

Before suddenly, he stopped.

She could barely still hear, but she could still make out hearing the rest of the sand that had attacked her leave her body, presumably returning to his gourd. She felt another pop go off in the same area in her chest, and she found herself crying out softly one last time, before her eyes slowly closed, and she found herself letting go.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Gaara was panicking. And it was one of the rare times to when he would show it on the outside.

His sister had just closed her eyes. She hadn't moved at all, from what he could see in the moonlight, since he had attacked her. The adrenaline from seeing his brother's injury had caused him to briefly lose his mind, his self-control, lashing out, attacking her in a way that he would have never done had been paying attention. He regretted it immediately, cursing himself under his breath as he slowly moved away from the deck of her home, trying to get a better grasp on what had been happening. Trying to remember exactly what had transpired.

His thoughts were interrupted by a moan from his brother, who was still situated over his shoulder, his head lying on Gaara's chest and his legs on his back. Gaara quickly turned his head to look at Kankuro. The hat that he had been wearing on his head nearly fell off at this motion, and the younger brother quickly moved to retrieve it, resettling it on his head. His breathing was panicked and heavy, and he could almost feel the desperation within him. With such an injury, at such a time…

Kankuro could die from this. He needed medical attention. Straightaway.

Gaara's eyes quickly scanned over their makeshift battlefield. Within the span of minutes, the three siblings had succeeded in ruining the Nara Household's backyard. There was blood smeared all around the area from which he had retrieved Kankuro, along with small scraps of black from his outfit, yet the Kazekage of the Sand couldn't make out where the rest of his brother's leg had went. The puppet he had been using was likely lost somewhere within the bushes. On Temari's side, there was a broken pillar, a section of broken deck, and beside the section, Temari's unconscious body lay, on its back. The kimono she had been wearing covered her well, and the fan she had been fighting with simply laid beside her. There were a few scars and bruises on her, from the little of what he could see from his position, but for the most part she looked unharmed. The sand that he had attacked her with was back in his gourd by now, as he looked past her and found himself searing in rage once he saw the body of Shikamaru Nara.

His eyes narrowed. Kankuro's wound would ensure that he didn't have the time to finish the job, but thankfully, the beating that the two brothers had given Shikamaru would be enough, and he would surely die before help came for him. Temari… she had to be able to survive. Even with Gaara's loss of control at the end, she hadn't sustained enough injuries during the battle to prove to be fatal. Gaara hadn't gained any real grievances from the fighting at all, while the brother that he held in his hands would die if he didn't get help for him soon.

The Kazekage of the Sand took a deep breath. Shikamaru would die of his injuries within the hour. Temari would survive as long as someone eventually showed up. Kankuro would be dead, at this rate of blood loss, within fifteen minutes. He himself would be fine. These were the pieces of evidence that he would have to pass over as fact.

That, along with the other things he had learned on this fateful day. Namely, what Temari had truly been doing after all these years-.

He felt his brother struggle in his hold. Gaara patted his back, and then quickly turned to jump away from the household. The time for reflection and understanding would have to be later. The two needed to get to the rendezvous point, and Gaara needed to, at the very least, wrap Kankuro's wounds before the two did so.

Temari had made her choice. Now all three of the siblings would have to deal with it.

Gaara's eyes softened, then he began leap away…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

And from his position within the home, a shaken Shikadai Nara finally found the courage to fully emerge from the gap in his home's back door. And upon fully seeing the scene in front of him, for one of the first times in his life, he didn't have an idea of what he was supposed to do.

There was the option of, for once, being an obedient child, and following the orders his mother had given to him earlier. Earlier that night, he had heard a commotion, but so had his mother. Before he could have opened his room door to investigate, she had already been standing in front of it, looking down at him. His mother had been wearing the Giant Fan that he had seen around the house on her back, her kimono was different, a black one with a red sash. She looked like she was ready for a fight, and before he could inquire what was going on, she simply had looked down at him, and, as per usual, given him instructions.

"Stay inside. I've called for help, and they'll get here soon. For now, just stay in here. Stay safe."

Her voice had been strict. The look on her face had been serious. The young boy had simply looked up into his mother's eyes, trying to process what was going on, and what his mother was even talking about. If Temari Nara had called for outside help, then there was a good chance that this was serious. The curious child slowly messed his brows, before Temari saw the worry on his face, and gave him a rarity from her, a light, comforting smile.

"Listen, everything's going to be alright. Don't worry. Just follow what I said, kay?"

At the time, Shikadai had simply nodded his head in understanding. It was late, and he had been tired anyways. He needed his sleep, he had school in the morning. And his mother wasn't a liar. If she said that it was going to be okay, then it was going to be okay.

Clearly, however, what she had said was a lie. One of her first lies. And as he looked upon the scene in front of him, with his mother and father both sprawled out and unconscious in front of him, he realised that he _couldn't _just run back inside and pretend like he hadn't seen anything. Like he hadn't _heard _anything. As if he hadn't heard his mother scream, or a foreign voice cry out like a madman.

He heard a stifled cough, and his eyes moved from his parents to… a pair of others, who stood at the other edge of his deck.

He froze. He instantly felt smaller than he was. Who was this man? And why was he still standing while his parents were down? But then, the boy's eyes slowly focused on the figure, and the man's appearance slowly came into view. A red-haired man wearing a giant gourd on his back. Carrying a brown haired man in a black outfit over his shoulder.

Shikadai heard a rustle behind him. He turned his head, to see nothing out of the ordinary, before he turned forwards again…

To see that the red-headed man was staring at him.

He hadn't turned around completely, but that didn't change the fact that Shikadai could now see two teal eyes staring at him. The eyes were outlined with black rings, there were a light collection of wrinkles around his mouth, and he was completely clean shaven. The expression on his face was blank, until Shikadai heard yet another sound, and he saw the very same eyes narrow.

At this, the young boy took a step back. A million and one plans and strategies went through his head, all the while he began to sweat. This wasn't good. He couldn't see a headband on the man, but the presence of the gourd on his back gave him a hint of where the ninja came from. The fact that both of his parents had been sprawled out in front of him gave him another hint. The fact that he looked like he was leaving, instead of helping them, helped him finalize who he might have been.

An enemy shinobi.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he moved his eyes to look over his parents once again. A drop of sweat slowly dripped down from his forehead down his neck. They still weren't moving. He idly looked at the rest of his surroundings. He saw the pool of blood, he saw the piece of broken deck. He saw the few grains of sand that hadn't been taken away, and he saw the scraps of black that dotted the very same pool of blood.

Within his mind, he finalized an image. There had been a battle fought here, between his parents and the two shinobi, one of which was now staring at him. And once again, he had no idea what to do about this information.

He took another step back. He was breaking all of the rules now. From his days at school, he at least knew that a ninja wasn't supposed to show weakness towards his or her enemy. Stepping back and sweating, all while having a more or less horrified look upon his features, counted as that.

At least he kept his gaze. He took a deep breath. There was no telling how ruthless the ninja was. Most didn't hurt children, at least from what his parents had told him, but there really was no telling. He looked back towards his parents, this time turning his head slightly so that he could get a better look at them. His father had blood all over his body, half of his kimono was gone, and the missing half had been wrapped around the opposite side of his chest. His mother had a few bruises and cuts on her face, but there wasn't much blood on her body. Both of them were out cold from what he could see.

He had to take risks. The taskforce wasn't here yet, he had to at least make sure that they were okay.

But at the same time, he had to watch the enemy. He turned his head back towards the much older man, and then slowly transformed his face into a scowl. At the very least, he looked a bit braver. But he was still a child, still much shorter and smaller than the pair of men that stood a ways in front of him.

He took one step closer to the bodies of his parents. The man with the gourd on his back took a breath, and Shikadai gulped in response. Both of them looked into one another's eyes, not breaking eye contact for even a second. The dark green eyes of the Nara against the pale, teal eyes of the enemy shinobi.

Shikadai took another step towards his parents. Finally, the silence between the two broke, and he heard the slightly monotone, cold voice from the red haired man in front of him.

"I am not going to hurt you, child."

Shikadai froze again. The man's eyes softened on the boy, and he watched as the young boy's jaw slowly clenched. It was still obvious that he was scared.

"…Did you do this?"

His eyes gestured to his parents. The red haired man simply continued to stare at the boy for a few more moments, before he closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

"…Indeed."

Shikadai gulped again. One of his mysteries had been answered, and he began to regret that it had been. If this man was good enough to outsmart and take out both his father and his mother…

His thought process was stopped by the man speaking again.

"Your mother will be well. Your father will perish. You ought to say your goodbyes while you still have the opportunity-."

"_**Why'd you do this!?"**_

The moment that Shikadai spoke out, he regretted it. He covered his mouth with both of his hands, and he took another step back. His eyes didn't leave the red-haired man's, and he soon began to see those eyes widen slowly, as if he had just been woken up from a stupor. Shikadai tried to make his eyes appear as tough and strong as possible, even as his body slightly shook and his mind went crazy. The very last thing he needed to do right now was invoke the man in front of him to attack him. He wasn't stupid. He knew that he wouldn't survive if that happened.

The red haired man eventually spoke out after about a minute of watching the boy in front of him hide his fear in a see-through basket. He took a heavy breath, and then furrowed his brows.

"Your father…" _No, that wouldn't help._ He took another breath.

"Your mother…" _No, that would do no good either._

The red haired man's eyes finally left the boy's, and simply looked over to the two bodies that laid near him. Shikadai followed his gaze as the red haired man looked away from him, silently taking a breath. The man's eyes seemed to glaze over with a sadness, before he turned himself back towards the boy.

"This had to happen. Your father… is a threat to my village."

He paused. When he spoke again, it sounded as if the man was choking on his words.

"And your mother… tried to stop that. But she failed."

Shikadai cringed, but held his ground this time. His eyes continued to bear into the man's, before the red haired man spoke again. At this time, his voice suggested urgency. The man on his back clearly wasn't going to make it if he didn't leave soon.

"… You should be honoured, child. Your father was considered a threat so great that the Fifth Kazekage himself came to ensure his demise."

Shikadai's eyes widened, and he found himself taking a step back.

So, _this _was the Fifth Kazekage.

The reason why his father stayed out so long some nights. The reason why his mother always waited up on those nights for his father, sitting on the front porch of their home as the sun steadily disappeared from the sky. The reason why he has seen so often sadness and guilt in his parent's eyes so many times, and anger in the eyes of so many adults in his village. The reason why so many students in his academy class were missing family members and friends. The reason why he had never been anywhere other than his village, and likely wouldn't be able to until the war was over.

And now, he was the reason why his parents were lying near each other, dying slowly on the back porch of their own home.

Shikadai really didn't know what to do now. It already had been a bad idea to attack, or anger, the shinobi in front of him, but with the knowledge that he was a _Kage, _that idea turned into a deadly one. But even as he knew that doing something physical or verbal towards the man would end with him dying, he couldn't help but slowly grip his hands into fists, and allow his face to slowly redden with anger. Why was he here? This man had done so much to make things in the village worse for everyone already, but now he had come here, to personally ruin his own life. His father, and his mother. He… he was too young. He didn't have any other type of close family to raise him, to be practical, and no one else in the clan had enough of the skills to properly lead the clan if Shikamaru were to die. The boy wouldn't have anyone else to raise him, sure, some of his honorary uncles and aunts would try to help out, but he would forever and always be missing two parts of himself. The parts that his parents made up.

And while this made him even angrier, this also made the child sad, and fearful on the inside. He _**couldn't**_ lose his parents. Not now.

He sucked in his lips, and shut his eyes. No, he couldn't just sit by and let this happen. He wouldn't lose them this easily. So the boy decided to finally take a risk, rushing over to the body of his father, and instantly kneeling down to try and interact with him.

Shikamaru wouldn't stir, no matter how hard Shikadai began to shake him. The red haired man eventually took his eyes off the boy, and turned himself away. When he did that, Shikadai's frantic shaking intensified. He pushed his father's arms forwards and backwards, trying to make him wake up. For a while, the fact that there was still an enemy in the vicinity didn't matter to the boy. All that mattered was that his father wasn't moving, his breathing extremely shallow, and his eyes still closed. His face peaceful.

Suddenly, the voice of the Kazekage came back to him. Shikadai kept his attention on his father and continued to lightly shake him.

"There is no point in doing that. Your father is dead-."

"No! _**You're**_ dead!"

Shikadai shut his eyes closed at his outburst. _Again. _But at this point, he didn't care. Kazekage or no, this man had secured a painful life for him. The anger that he held inside him flared up to reveal itself on the surface once again, and when the boy continued to speak, his young voice was dripping with both anger and fear.

"You… you won't just get away with this! I... I have… I can't… I won't! _Someone's _going to get you for this! Someone… someone has to…"

Shikadai's voice slowly fizzled out as he watched as the head of man in front of him failed to move. Instead, the area around them continued to give off a deadly silence for a few moments more. Shikadai's face continued its red colour, but his anger soon, once again, faded into sadness, and he began to feel his own eyes well up with tears. By now, he was kneeling on the ground, his body barely being able to keep up with his mind processing what was happening. He couldn't take it. He wouldn't take it. He was too young. He didn't understand. He didn't know what to _do._

He didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to _them_.

More minutes passed, before he heard a cough from in front of him. The figured on the red haired man's shoulder moved, and he could guess that the man was conscious now, if he hadn't been before. He could hear a sigh, and then saw the man in front of him slowly shake his head.

"I know."

And before Shikadai could do anything else, the pair of men took off into the forest behind them, quickly disappearing from his view. He noticed, however, a trail of blood that seemed to follow the two. And once he was completely alone, the tears within his eyes finally began to roll down his cheek, and he began to push his father harder.

"Dad…Dad! You… wake up! You've got to get up!"

His voice was muffled by his tears. He knew that this wasn't going to help him at all. Not his crying, not his pushing. Not his yells. He was a Nara man after all, he wasn't stupid. They were as good as gone. But even as his mind gave him a final verdict, his soul wouldn't let him believe it. With the same frenzied state, he slowly moved his way over to his Mom, doing the same motions. Shaking her. Trying to make her wake up from whatever she was under. Her wounds were minor compared to his father's, there was barely any blood, and yet she seemed to be taking it the same was his father was. He shook her as well, and there wasn't any response. He shook her again, and again, and again. All the while the tears began to pour down his face at an accelerated rate, and he began to whimper in defeat.

And then suddenly, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

He immediately stopped his crying. His tears were suspended on his face, and his head slowly raised. He heard a shuffling behind him, and suddenly froze. _No more sand ninja, please. _He slowly took a deep breath in, and before he could do anything else, heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"Shikadai Nara, is that you?"

Shikadai slowly turned his head to look at the man behind him, and his mouth slowly went agape.

"Mister… _Uchiha_?"

The black haired man behind him, Sasuke Uchiha, the father of his classmate Sarada Uchiha, slowly nodded his head, and his eyes slowly moved to look over the younger boy in front of him. After a moment of looking at him, his brows slowly furrowed at the child.

"Are you hurt?" Sasuke's voice revealed a bit of sleep deprivation, but nonetheless came out strong enough. Shikadai continued to look in awe at the man standing above him, before slowly shaking his head. He slowly moved his arms to try and wipe some of the tears out of his eyes, and cleared his throat before pointing to the body of his mother in front of him.

"You… you've got to help my parents."

The man who stood over him nodded, and then slowly knelt down in front of Temari Nara, and moved a hand to check her pulse. As he did this, Shikadai slowly finished wiping his tears away, and finished watching Sasuke take his mother's pulse. He then heard some shuffling behind him, not moving his head, he watched as Sasuke quickly lifted his other hand to motion someone closer to him.

"She's fading! Stabilize her, I need to check the other!"

Sasuke's position was quickly replaced with another ninja, but this one Shikadai couldn't recognize. Sasuke himself moved out of the child's view. Shikadai simply stood there, still in shock.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_ AN: And I really can't write endings either. Sorry, I really wanted to get this chapter out quickly. The next chapter should be up very soon. Also, I actually forgot to write the dinner scene between Shikamaru, Temari and Shikadai. If you'd like to read that, please request it in the comments or reviews. I'm not sure how'd you do that, I haven't really been on this website for a while. Either way, thank you for reading, and please remember to R&amp;R_


	13. Kesshō

_AN: For the record, this isn't going to be the final chapter of this story. Simply, the title goes along with Kankuro's theme, I suppose. It supposedly means "Final" in Japan, but I might be wrong, since I'm not a native Japanese speaker. Either way, this is going to be significantly shorter than the last part, considering only one thing happens in this part. You'll see._

_Also, I hate to do this so early in the story, but I realised that I implied that Kankuro had 2 children in a previous chapter. I'm going to go back and edit it, but I'm going to retcon it to 1. I just feel that it fits him better._

_Also, very sorry for the long wait. I just have a lot of stuff to deal with at school, and I'm not sure how I'm going to schedule the story yet, considering that the parts really do vary in size. However, I'm going to aim for one update at least once a week, or for longer parts, once every 12 days. I'm not sure how this is going to work out, so please bear with me._

_Thank you to all who've been reading my fanfiction so far. _

"Gaara… we've got to stop. Please."

Gaara's feverish eyes snapped towards his brother's position on his shoulder. After a moment, he found himself having to put his eyes back to looking in front of him, so that he wouldn't crash into a wall. He made a few more leaps towards a back alley, and then finally allowed himself to stop his running.

Gaara was breathing heavily at this point, but he couldn't stop now. Ever since they had left the Nara Residence, the two had found themselves pursued by various shinobi. Whatever clearance that they had afforded themselves earlier by taking out the primary guard stations and security stations had clearly run out, and whatever time that they had used with fighting Temari and assassinating Shikamaru Nara had been enough to have every available shinobi in the village out there, looking for them. And they had already run into a lot of them while trying to escape. Gaara had done his best to fight them off, with one side of his body having to be dedicated to carrying his brother to safety, but it was clear that eventually the two would be overwhelmed. The two needed to reach the rendezvous point with the other two who had come with them as soon as possible.

However, if Kankuro needed them to stop, Gaara would do nothing but oblige. After making sure that the alley was clear of civilians and ninja, he slowly placed his brother on the ground, and leaned him up against one of the walls. Instantly noting that his brother's leg wound was still there, he slowly moved to tear off a piece of his own cloak, before Kankuro slowly held up a hand. Gaara's eyes looked into his, and Kankuro shook his head slowly, before giving his brother a weak, but confident grin.

"The Kazekage… shouldn't be tearing his clothes… for his retainers…"

The Puppet master's voice was frail and barely noticeable. Gaara's eyes narrowed at his brother's statement, and he slowly leaned himself in closer, kneeling so that he could hear his brother.

"Don't say that," he scolded softly. "You know you're more than just that to me. You're also my _brother._" Gaara's eyes slowly panned towards Kankuro's missing leg, its wound still slowly bleeding blood, but at least now it was doing so less than it was before. Nevertheless…

"We need to cover it, or else you won't make it. And you need your own clothes to keep warm and comfortable."

With that, Gaara continued his tearing motion, and with a quick motion a bottom piece of his red cloak was taken off. Before Kankuro could protest any more, he had lifted the bleeding stump that was his leg, and slowly wrapped the cloth around it, stopping the blood loss, and successfully creating a makeshift, yet useful, bandage for his brother. After the motion was done, Gaara looked behind himself. The alley they had stopped in wasn't very well lit, aside from a dim streetlight that hung over his brother's head, and the light of the moon. What the light did reveal, however, was that the area was quite dirty, with a lot of garbage tossed throughout it, as well as a deep, dirty wretched stench that hung throughout the air. Gaara took one whiff of it, and then took a deep breath, before moving forwards to try and pick up his brother again.

"We have to keep moving. Come on."

Gaara was surprised as his brother slowly lifted his head, and then looked at the area around them. He took a deep breath, after studying the area around them, and then looked back at his little brother. Gaara paused his movements, and then watched with confused eyes as Kankuro's grin slowly widened.

"Naa… you're the one that needs to keep moving. So ge-."

Before he could finish his talk, the puppet master felt lurched forwards and slowly held up one of his hands to block his harsh coughs. From his position in front of him, Gaara began to lightly pat Kankuro's back. It was better if he got whatever was hurting him out of his system. When his brother was done, Gaara slowly helped him lean back up against the wall.

And even in the dark alley that the two were in, Gaara could still notice that the hand that Kankuro had used to block his coughs had a heavy amount of blood on it.

Gaara nearly retched. After all these years, he was still disgusted by the sight of blood.

The puppet master squinted his eyes, and then flicked his hand, allowing the droplets of his fluid to fall onto the ground in front of him. His brother began to panic at the sight.

"What do you mean? Come on, we're getting out of here together-."

"No… no we're not…"

Kankuro looked up towards Gaara again, this time his eyes growing intense. His grin slowly faded into a scowl, and then he took another breath, before continuing.

"… You need to get out of here… and I'm just going to slow you down…"

Gaara widened his eyes at his brother. He looked over his missing leg, the intensity of his eyes, and the somber expression on his face. And then he shook his head, adamantly.

"You're not going to slow me dow-."

"Back there… with the other ninja… you couldn't… exactly defend yourself… properly. One hand… occupied… I was… too heavy…"

Kankuro paused, and Gaara's mind began to slowly process what he had said. After a few more breaths, heavy and slow, Kankuro finished what he was saying.

"With me on your back… you're also too slow… and… don't you notice…?"

He weakly raised a hand to point in front of him. Gaara looked towards where his brother was pointing, and his eyes slowly narrowed as he saw a blood trail leading to where he had placed his brother. If there was a trail here, there was probably a trail leading to them from at least the Nara Residence. No wonder they had had so many encounters ever since then.

He looked back towards Kankuro, and dreadfully noted in his head that he was beginning to look pale. The purple lines on his face was beginning to stand out even more on the paler background, and Gaara slowly began to understand what Kankuro was trying to say to him.

And this made Gaara panic even more than he already was.

"Are you trying to make me leave you here!?" He asked. His voice was showing a great amount of his emotions, and whatever his voice was not conveying was visible on his face. His eyes were in a frantic state, his brows were furrowed to a great amount, and his lips were placed in a sick frown.

Kankuro looked up at his brother again. Gaara noted that his eyes were slowly beginning to lose focus, and instead of looking directly into his eyes he was looking more at the basic outline of his face. He took a deep breath, and exhaled.

"Yeah."

Gaara's suspicions had been confirmed. But no matter his wishes…

"I won't do that to you," Gaara snapped. It didn't take him more than a moment to respond to Kankuro's request. "No. Now come on, we're going to leave."

Gaara reached forwards for his brother again, but Kankuro held up a hand to block him. He tried to focus his eyes on him once again.

"No…. You have to leave me here…. Now get out of here-."

"I told you I won't do that!" Gaara had slightly raised his voice, but quickly tempered himself. They were still deep in enemy territory, and it would be suicide to raise too much attention to themselves. Especially in the condition that his brother was in. He cleared his throat peacefully, and then narrowed his eyes at his brother, reaching forwards. Once again, his brother weakly had held up a hand to stop him.

"Kankuro-."

"Gaara… you have to **leave. **Now go."

"I'm not leaving you here!"

Once again, Gaara's voice had become too loud for safety. He tempered it again, but before he could speak out again, Kankuro had tempered _**his **_voice, and spoke again, this time more clearly.

"Even if you try to carry me out, I'll die before we reach the rendezvous point. And even if they can't follow the trail of my blood, they can either sniff me out with hounds, or I'll cause you to be so slow that you'll end up finally running into someone that can give you a run for your money. So leave. _**Now. **_"

Gaara's face began to redden, as Kankuro's face continued to lose its colour. He briefly thought back of everything the two had been through for the entirety of their lives. The isolation and fear at the beginning, the reconciliation and brotherhood that followed, the protection, love and respect that they had offered one another, the comfort and understanding…

And this is how it was going to end. No matter what Gaara did, Kankuro's words had truth to them. He was _dying_, and there was only a small chance that Gaara would be able to get help for him before he faded away. No matter what he did, this was how it was going to end. 37 years of brotherhood ending in the middle of a decade long war, deep in enemy territory, with the older brother bleeding out. And the very idea _angered _Gaara as much as it _frightened _him.

But, no matter the inevitable outcome, he had to try. Kankuro had barely lived for half his life, and he wasn't going to allow himself to lose _**another **_of his siblings.

"Kankuro," Gaara pleaded. His voice was beginning to become shaky, but was still strong and clear. "You have _people _to live for."

…_I do._

Kankuro gulped, and then leaned his head against the wall he was against, completely relaxing himself. He thought back to the people he'd be leaving behind with his decision, and his feelings slowly choked his mind-.

"_Don't do that to me again."_

_A simple warning poured from his lips. No, not a warning, but an appeal. His voice had been quivering. His face had hardened as he watched hers instantly soften, her eyes slowly beginning to look away from his. He could tell that his words were working this time. But nevertheless, he wanted confirmation._

"_Did you hear me-."_

"_It… it doesn't matter," she spat suddenly. Her eyes still looked away from his, but at least her breathing was back to normal. She slowly sat herself up in the infirmary bed that she had been holed up in for the past few weeks, and then continued, her voice louder than before._

"_We're Shinobi, remember? Last time I checked, 'dying on the job' was one of the more well-known workplace hazards-."_

"_I know. Just-."_

"_Even if I told you I would stay safe, I'd be lying. And I don't want to lie to you, Kankuro."_

He suddenly lurched forwards again, cradling his head in his hands. Gaara slowly moved to offer his hands in support, but soon enough Kankuro had slowly returned his head to against the wall.

_Fuck…_

He tried his best to keep his mind away from exactly who he was going to be leaving behind, but images kept slipping back into his head. He pushed them back to the outskirts of his mind, but the guilt slowly began to return them to the front and centre of his brain. His eyes squinted, and his face pained-.

"_One week, right?"_

"_Yeah. 3 days there, 3 days back. So I'll get back on either the 6__th__ or 7__th__ day."_

_He then slowly raised a brow, noticing how the toddler's face slowly saddened, and her mouth went into a pout._

"_What's the matter? It's only a week-."_

"_But you just got back! And now you're gone again."_

_ Kankuro felt a pain in his chest, and shut his eyes slowly, before taking a slight breath. _

_ "Listen… it won't be that long. You'll be alright here. I mean, you have your Mom. Don't you like your Mom-?"_

_ "Ya. I love Mummy."_

_ "Then why are you fussin-"_

_ "It's just… you were just gone! It's no fair! We didn't even get any time to play! Why do you always have to be away all of time?!"_

_ The tot in front of him deepened her little pout, and then shut her eyes. The sight would have been adorable, had Kankuro not been her father, nor the man who was causing her to be so upset. There weren't any tears present on her face, but he knew his daughter. It was obvious to him that she was hurting._

_ He had to find a way to convince her to move. He wouldn't push past his own daughter, even if he was keeping Gaara waiting. Or rather, he couldn't, that part of him wasn't present while he was with his family. _

_ The little girl in front of him slowly widened her feet, and then crossed her arms. The puppet master watched as she tried to straighten her back as well, as if to try and appear taller. He smirked at her attempt to look more threatening, before pondering on if his girl was going to try and __**bully **__her father into staying. After a moment or two, he finally was able to think of something that would help._

_ He slowly knelt down so that he was on the girl's level. He was much taller than her, and she was much smaller than him. There he stayed knelt for a moment, noticing how his daughter hadn't opened her eyes to look at him yet, before slowly reaching out his right hand to rest on her shoulder. His palm alone was bigger than the entire joint, and the sensation of her father's hand caused the girl to open her eyes and look at him again. _

_ Her arms stayed crossed. Her face still was in that grumpy, tough position. Her feet still stayed standing apart. Kankuro's face slowly moved into a stern look, as he tried his best to actually appear fatherly towards her for once. He cleared his throat before beginning to speak to her._

_ "Okuni, we both know why I'm away a lot," he started. His voice was soft, yet authoritative. "You know that I'm a very important part of our village. When I'm away, it's not because I want to be away. It's because I __**need **__to be away. There are others out there that depend on me. I have to be away so I can protect them."_

_ "Ya, I know, bu-."_

_ "Let Daddy finish, dear. Listen, just… this mission especially is very important. It could change the course of the war that we're in. And since I'm an important man to the village, I was chosen to go on it. And this mission can't be postponed. So… I've got to go now, ok?"_

_ Okuni's stance slowly relaxed, her hands went to her sides, and she sighed, looking into her father's eyes. Kankuro looked back, his eyes into hers now, and he found himself marvelling at their resemblance. She had the same, intense, sharp, and dark eyes that he did. In a few years, she'd probably be able to pull off the same looks he was able to, provoke the same fear into others that he was able to. Yes, definitely one day._

_ She sighed. Kankuro patted her shoulder, and then gave her a slight smile._

_ "This week will pass by quickly, yeah? You won't even miss me. And if you do… listen. I'm coming back. We'll be able to spend more time together then."_

_ Okuni continued her look into her father's eyes, and after a few more moments, her face slowly went into a neutral position. She kicked at the ground beneath her, and then looked away from him._

_ "Fine. Siz days."_

_ "It's pronounced 'suh-icks', dear."_

_ "Six."_

_ He could tell she was still a bit upset, and so he looked away from her to the roof of his home for a moment to think of something that could possibly cheer her up. After a few moments of thought, he looked back towards his little girl, and smiled at her._

_ "Say… you know that when I get back I'll have a new story to tell…"_

_ Okuni raised one of her eyebrows slightly at this._

_ "Yeah, I kn-."_

_ Before she could say anything else, Kankuro saw her eyes light up in happiness. _

_ "Wait! Does this mean-?"_

_ "Yep. This means you get a new puppet show."_

_ Kankuro slowly allowed his voice to get a bit more expressive. It was still early in the morning, but he couldn't resist himself getting excited for something that all members of his family enjoyed. The little girl in front of him began to grin as her imagination began to run wild. She always loved the shows that her father, and sometimes her mother, played out for her, using miniature puppets and his chakra strings. Kankuro knew this, and then continued to coax her on._

_ "Now, the last time we left off…"_

_ "Our hero was trying to save the princess, right?"_

_ Kankuro nodded._

_ "She was getting tired of waiting, and was going to try and save herself…"_

_ "But the villain wasn't going to let that go on! So… he summoned a giant salamander!"_

_ "She was able to defeat that by herself, but she was gravely injured!" At this, Kankuro slowly placed his other hand on her other shoulder. _

_ "It's a good thing the hero was able to show up in time!"_

_ "But now that the Hero and the Princess are together, how're they going to defeat the villain?!"_

_ Kankuro's grin widened._

_ "Well, you see, we don't know yet. Not me or your Mom. But… by the time I come back, I'm sure I'll know how the next part goes…"_

_ At that, he moved one of his hands to ruffle his daughter's hair. _

_ "One week," he repeated. _

_ Okuni smiled widely, and then nodded in agreement._

_ "One week!"_

_One week._

One week.

By now, Kankuro knew that he was certainly going to die. If his mind couldn't stay in the present, that wasn't a good sign. His eyes opened, and nothing of the situation that he was in had gotten better, not even in the slightest. Gaara still hadn't left him, he still stood there, looking directly into his brother's eyes. They were still alone, thankfully, but it was only a matter of them to when they would finally be found. He was still bleeding lightly through the bandage that Gaara had given him, and one feeling that was certain within him was that he was tired. By now, even the act of simply staying awake was causing him too much effort, let alone speaking.

He was running out of time. And Gaara was still here with him.

The older brother grit his teeth.

"Gaara, you have to **go. Now-**."

"Why do you think I would _**ever**_ do that to you?" Gaara snapped. Kankuro studied his face to see that Gaara's emotions had been slowly getting the better of him ever since he had set him down in the alley, and by this point they were obvious, and all over his face. His brow less eyes' franticness were now evident on his face, his face was almost as aggrieved as his was, as he could see his brother battle the very same emotions that he was battling at the moment as well. Noticing that his voice had gotten a bit loud again, Gaara turned his head to look behind him, to make sure that they were alone. Upon making sure of this, he turned himself back towards his brother and continued.

"I… I would never do that to you! I'm not just going to leave you here! You're my _**brother, **_Kankuro! It's… I'm-."

Gaara didn't know what to say, but Kankuro already knew what he wanted to say. The dying man slowly cleared his throat, and then took a deep breath.

"I… know that. I get it-."

"No! You don't understand! You don't 'get it'! It's… all of the… out of all of the…"

Gaara now had his hands on his head, covering his forehead. If it was anyone other than Kankuro, he wouldn't be spilling his feelings like this, he wouldn't be making his pain obvious to the world. But it was Kankuro. His big brother. He was dying in front of him-

Gaara felt a sensation to his shoulder, and turned his head to see that Kankuro had rested one of his hands there. Kankuro looked towards the joint he was touching, before taking another breath and looking up at Gaara.

He was never good at consoling people, but he would have to try his best. For both their sakes. Gaara _had _to keep moving.

"Bro… just… _please_. You're the Kazekage… and I'm your bodyguard. More importantly… I'm your _**brother **_as well. Meaning that I… especially… I have to protect you. And…-."

"Kankuro, don't-."

"Let me… finish. I know… what you're feeling… it's hard… I know… but you're… you have to live. I told you… I'm already dead… You have to get out of here… live for… both our sakes… live for our village-."

"Dammit Kankuro I can't lose two of my siblings in the same **fucking **day!"

"_**Gaara, I'm trying to save your fucking life! Now… get a move… on! I told you… I'm already… d-**_."

Kankuro then felt himself lurch forwards again, covering his mouth again, coughing again. Like the last time he made such motions, upon leaning back and relaxing again, his hands were dripping red with his own life blood. He cringed at this sight, and he didn't have to look up to know that Gaara was cringing as well. He was running out of time. He had to finish this.

Kankuro took another deep breath. He straightened himself up on the wall, and he shuddered. There was a drift of cold air that had just entered the alley they were in, and as a native of a desert, he hadn't been prepared to feel it. Kankuro mentally chided himself. He hadn't been prepared for anything that had happened this day.

He swallowed some of the blood that remained in his mouth back down into his body, and pleaded with his brother once again.

"…Gaara… please. I don't want to… die knowing that I… burdened you. Please… you have to leave. Just… go."

Gaara's eyes shut again, and he gritted his teeth. He hated it. He hated himself. He hated the entire mission. He hated this day. He hated the mission. The mission that _he __**himself **_put them on. He hated the cold. He hated the falling leaves around them. He hated the Leaf Village. He hated Shikamaru.

_**He hated Naruto.**_

He wanted to curse it all out to the world. All of these factors. All of these things. All of these little variables, they had all been responsible for this. Everything that those factors had done, it had all lead up to this. The estrangement of his sister. The death of his brother.

Once again, Gaara was going to be alone. He was going to be all by himself. He was going to-.

A stifled cough, and Kankuro's voice returned to the air once more.

"You…. You wont be… all alone, Gaara. You'll still have… your friends. Your… you'll still be Kazekage. You'll still have… your village. You'll still have… Matsuri."

_Matsuri. _

Gaara balled his hands into fists slowly. He looked back towards Kankuro to see that he was now almost completely white, the colour and melanin having completely left his face. He… was right. No matter what the two did now, Kankuro was going to die. Only real choice that Gaara had, was how he was going to die. A death on the Kazekage's shoulder, being carried to safety, or a death lying in a dark alley, dying slowly from his wounds?

Would Gaara give Kankuro the death that he wanted, or would he selfishly make the voice for him?

Gaara took a deep breath, and looked at his brother once again. The puppet master's eyes were slowly closing. He didn't have much time left. He didn't have _any _time left.

Gaara looked away from Kankuro the next time he spoke, and his voice dripped with regret.

"…Fine."

A single word was all that Kankuro needed to free himself from his guilt. He slowly allowed a reassuring smile to grace his features again, as the next words out of his mouth came out silently.

"Thank you… Gaara. You're going to be... continue being… a great Kage. Don't you let my… passing… slow you down."

Gaara was still in disbelief of what he was doing when he noticed one of Kankuro's hands reach towards his own head. He looked back at his dying brother to watch as he slowly removed the hat that he wore on his head, also removing his Suna forehead protector at the same time. The action revealed his shaved head, and the short brown hair that seemed to be trying to grow back into the place of his old hair. He watched as his brother looked at his hood for a few moments longer, before smirking and slowly holding the hood out to Gaara. He could see his brother's hands shaking.

"The only… other thing I'm asking. Take this back to… Shiori. It's going to be… hard to explain… for you to… explain. This… you giving her this… it should explain everything…"

Gaara stood there for a moment longer, before slowly taking the hood from his brother's hands, and slowly tucking it into a pocket close to his chest, to make sure it was secure. Gaara's face was solemn, and, observing this, Kankuro gave him a weak chuckle, trying to find a way to reassure him, or at least make the environment that the two were in less tense.

"Gaara… everything's going to be… alright. Just…listen to your big brother… won't you? It's going to be… alright-."

"I'm not going to let your memory fade."

Kankuro's eyes slightly lit up, and he looked up into Gaara's eyes to see the realism in his words. Gaara looked down to him, and continued.

"Your death… it won't be a discarded, forgotten thing. It will not be lost to history. I'm going to make sure that everyone at home knows that you died for your Kage, for your village, for your _brother_. I'm going to make sure that they know, your daughter knows, your wife knows, that you died so that you could end this war, so that you could make life better for them. You're not going to just be disremembered, Kankuro. Everyone… they're going to… they're going to know your name."

The dying man's eyes slightly lit up at this. Both he and Gaara knew that he never strove for power or fame, but that wasn't what Gaara was talking about, not what he was telling his brother. Not in the slightest.

With his strength fading rapidly, Kankuro's voice returned to the fray.

"…You'd… do that for me…? So… everyone's going to hear… about my… performances? My storylines? My… puppet-shows…? Thank… thank you… Gaara. Thank you…"

Gaara finally stood up at that. The gourd on his back already felt heavier. And he already felt more alone.

But so did Kankuro. The blood in his lungs felt as if they had filled them, and he slowly felt his eyes lose their power. It wouldn't be long now before he breathed his last.

Gaara looked around, and seeing that no one was around, he slowly moved himself so that he was in a position to jump onto one of the roofs again, and get out of Konohagakure. From his position there, he took one last look at his dying brother, before shutting his eyes in guilt.

_No… I can't do this-_

"Goodbye, Gaara."

Gaara opened his eyes and looked back to Kankuro. He could see his weak smile from his positon, and his voice was still clear in his ears. And so was the little remark that he said after that…

"You know… I always wanted a little brother. Even when I was a kid… I always thought having one would be… sort of cool. And clearly… you've lived up to that expectation…"

Gaara could almost hear his heart cracking. His voice was vibrating with sadness as he spoke his final words to his brother.

"Thank you, Kankuro. You were the greatest older brother anyone could've asked for. Just…"

Gaara bit his lips. He was choking on his words now.

"…Farewell…Kankuro…"

It was finally time to jump away.

Kankuro watched as Gaara jumped to the rooftop above him, and listened as he could hear his brother's footsteps' clatter across the metal tiling that was on it. He felt a breeze enter the alley, and then took a deep breath. His brother's footsteps eventually faded from his ears, and he allowed his body to relax against the wall he would die against.

_Tem... your doing… huh? I guess you really… did love him. And I… can't even hate you… for your… wrongs._

His eyelids slowly lowered, and his smile faded from his face.

_Shiori…Okuni… I'm sorry…_

And in a theatre, the curtains closed.

_What a lame way to die._


	14. The Seventh Hokage

_AN: __**I apologise for how long it took for this chapter to get out.**__ I was in the middle of exams for school, so I needed to focus on something other than this story. However, from now on I'm going to try and get chapters out at least once every week, and for longer ones (So 3,000+ Words) once every 2 weeks. Sorry. I made this chapter long to make up for it. It's the longest chapter yet.  
_

_Just something to let everyone know about this story. I decided to use all of the ships/pairings from Chapter 700, with the exceptions of shipping Gaara with Matsuri and Kankuro with an OC. Therefore, the pairings featured in this fanfiction are…_

_Ino and Sai, Choji and Karui, Shikamaru and Temari (obviously), Naruto and Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke. _

_Sorry if I invoked any flames from that. Also, I read the reviews and I'll try to find a way to fit the other Hidden Villages in here as well, although you might not see them for a few more chapters due to the events of the story. They'll be at least mentioned though. I'm also going to try and get at least a cameo from most of the Konoha 11/12, as well as their sensei. _

_Also, there's a few references to parts in the Land of Waves arc. If you can see them, you have a good eye._

_One Day Later…_

The Jinchuriki of the Hidden Leaf Village slowly opened his mouth to yawn. As the air began to rush from his lips and into the hand that he placed in front of himself, he could also hear a series of footsteps rush from behind him. After he was done, the yellow haired man found himself smirking lightly, standing perfectly still. He could tell the assault was coming, but he wasn't afraid in the slightest. After all, he knew who his attacker was…

"Freeze!"

The man raised his hands above his head, and then placed one hand in his other.

"Oh!" He yelled, in the most dramatic tone he could muster up at so early in the morning. It still was expressive enough for the assailant behind him to accept it, however.

"You got me! Oh! I'm completely under your control!"

He could hear a small giggle from his attacker behind him.

"That's right! Turn around, scum! You're _my _captive now!"

The man slowly chuckled, before turned around to face his assailant. He found himself looking down. The boy in front of him spoke.

"Well, well well! Looks like even the great Hokage can be defeated easily by me!"

The blonde continued on with his façade.

"Oh no! What'll you do with me now that you got me?"

He saw the boy in front of him brighten his face up. He was clearly enjoying this.

"Interrogate you of course! And find out how to do all of the jutsu that you do!"

The Boy then pointed at the older man, his father, in front of him.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwww… Talk! What is the secret to your shadow clone jutsu?!"

"Oh no! I cannot possibly tell that!"

"Yes you can! You're my captive! Since you're my captive, you have to tell me everything!"

The "captured" man in front of the boy slowly began to see a little girl peak her head out from behind a wall. The boy in front of him clearly hadn't noticed her yet. He then slowly focused back on his son.

"I don't _have _to tell you anything! I'll never give up my secrets! Not to you, and not to anyone!"

The little girl slowly caught onto what was happening, and then slowly began to smile innocently, all while beginning to walk out from behind the wall, and slowly towards her older brother. Meanwhile, her brother took slight offence to his father's defiance.

"Fine! ….wait! No! That's not fine! You'll tell me your secrets this instant! Or else… umm… I'll… take your Kage-Hat away! Yeah!"

The older man in front of him widened his eyes in horror. His voice became more dramatic.

"Oh no! Not my Kage-hat! If you take that away, my outfit won't be complete! You can't! That is a fate worse than death!"

The boy in front of him smiled a sick grin. Meanwhile, the girl behind him slowly make her entrance into the confrontation.

"I will take it! I'll take it! Now, tell me the secret to the prestigious, awesome and cool Shadow Clone- Ow!"

The boy's father finally burst out laughing as he watched as his daughter, Himawari, suddenly tug on the boy's hair. The kid was sensitive in that retrospect, and quickly lowered his hands, and began to rub the section that had been pulled. Meanwhile, Himawari quickly ran into her father's legs, and then he dropped his act, also dropping his arms to pick his little girl up, and hold her in the crook of his elbow.

From this position, Himawari threw her hands up into the sky, giving out a cheer.

"I saved Daddy! I saved him from the bad ninja! …I think!"

And at this, Naruto Uzumaki, the 7th Hokage of Konohagakure and Jinchuriki of the Hidden Leaf Village, smiled at his daughter, and cheered along with her.

"Yeah, you _did _save Daddy! And you came just in time too! If you were a bit slower, then who knows what would've happened?"

At this, Himawari smiled back at her Dad. Meanwhile, Bolt was still standing in front of the pair, rubbing his head and frowning. Naruto's eyes slowly moved to look over the pain that his son was going through, and then looked back towards his daughter, an awkward look on his face.

"Eh… although maybe you don't want to be pulling people's hair… Especially if you're just playing…"

Himawari's eyes widened, and then she also looked back towards Bolt, who was now looking up at the pair in front of him, scowling. She blushed, and then rubbed her own hair.

"Oops. Sorry!"

Bolt shrugged, and then stopped rubbing his head.

"Eh, it's alright! I'll just get you back later! In a rematch! This time, we'll get Mom _and _Dad to join! So it'll be equal teams!"

Himawari squirmed in Naruto's arms, clearly being excited, before he let her down. From behind him, he heard another voice enter the scene, as he watched as Himawari walked towards Bolt…

"Dear! Himawari! Bolt! Breakfast is ready!"

And at that, Naruto found himself smiling smugly to himself, before found himself having to move next to a wall as the two of his children rushed past him to reach the kitchen behind him.

It had been a great morning so far, at least from what he himself could see. After leaving work early the day before and being able to spend the rest of his afternoon, evening and night at home with his family, he had woken up next to the love of his life, and had been greeted with a kiss and a close hug. After that, both he and his wife had gotten out of bed together, with her moving to go get breakfast ready, and Naruto dressing himself up for whatever miniscule amount of work that he was expecting to do today. Upon finally heading downstairs, his hair done, chin shaved and Hokage uniform on, he had been successfully tackled by his son Bolt, before engaging him in a bit a play. Which had culminated in Himawari joining along, and finally his wife announcing that breakfast was ready.

He gave himself a sigh of relief. Days and mornings like this had become common in his household ever since the Konoha-Sunagakure War had begun to die down, and hopefully they would continue to be a common occurrence. He could, frankly, use them more often. Especially since the early days of the war had been spent with him out on duty frequently, and eventually, with him stuck in the Hokage Office for days at a time, trying to catch up on an abundance of work.

Eventually, he was finished with his musings. The man's children finally had moved themselves into the kitchen of their estate, and Naruto was moving behind them as well. He walked into the room, and watched as both of his children found themselves at their respective places at the kitchen table, sitting next to each other. The table was already full of foods (boiled eggs, rice, some noodles) , the plates, chopsticks, knives and forks, and both Himawari and Bolt were already digging in themselves. The only thing that was missing was their mother.

Naruto himself slowly moved himself to his position at the head of the table, and then pulled out a napkin to cover his lap. There'd probably be stares and jeers if he showed up to work with a messy coat, of course. Afterwards, he took a look around for the missing woman, before his eyes finally rested upon the figure who was facing the fridge. When she turned around…

Naruto saw Hinata Hyuuga, his wife.

She looked particularly stunning this morning, for some reason that Naruto himself could not figure out. Her hair was perfect as always, her skin was smooth and pale, her eyes were big and beautiful. Her hips nice and full, her curves strong and wide. Whatever small wrinkles that she possessed on her face due to age didn't take away from the radiance that she exhibited. The small scar that was barely visible on her neck, from a botched mission earlier in the war, was barely noticeable to her husband this day, as opposed to the other days where his failure had been clearly visible and open for the rest of the world to see. After a few moments of staring at her, Hinata seemed to finally catch on, and her blank face slowly opened up into a smile, as she closed the fridge behind her and began to walk towards him.

"Good morning again, Naruto."

Her voice sounded heavenly to him. Still retaining the soft, polite form, but now possessing more vigour and strength than when they were younger. Naruto leaned back in his seat, and gave her a toothy grin back.

"Morning again, Hinata."

He, of course, being more mature, and yet still sounding like the goof from twenty years ago.

Hinata moved to sit down, but before she could an idea went into Naruto's mind, as he stood up to take her chair out for her. Hinata slightly blushed at the gesture of kindness, and sat down, allowing Naruto to push her into the table. He stole a kiss from her cheek then, before moving to sit back at his position at the head of the table.

Of course, he had forgotten that the two had an audience.

"Aww! Mommy and Daddy are so cute!" Himawari had exclaimed from the other side of the table. Bolt, on the other hand, was too busy scoffing down the reserves of the boiled eggs that his mother had made earlier, to the point where a quarter of them were gone now. His placemat was messy, with little shells everywhere, and he was being quite loud. While Hinata and Naruto both blushed at Himawari's comment, they both found themselves… unimpressed at Bolt's behaviour.

"Slow down Bolt!" Naruto scolded. The boy stopped his act, and dropped the egg that he was about to eat back onto his plate. Naruto recognized his harsh voice, unusually harsh, and tampered it.

"Your mom and I haven't even started, and almost half the food's gone. And look at Himawari, she's only had one or two."

Bolt looked up at the platter of eggs, then to his plate, then towards his parents, and then towards his sister. He shrunk into his chair.

"Whoops. Sorry Dad." Naruto idly noted that his voice was still young and small. He was barely eight, after all.

"It's alright. Just remember to slow down sometimes." Naruto looked around, before slowly leaning in closer to his son, and speaking more softly.

"You know, some of us can't catch up to you."

Bolt grinned at his father, whilst Naruto did the same. Meanwhile, Hinata began to take some of the food from the platters in front of them, and place them into everyone else's plates, making sure that at the very least they had enough. By the time Naruto leaned back in his seat, there was a good amount of hard boiled eggs on his plate.

He reached forwards to place an egg into his mouth. His eyes moved over to an alarm clock on another table next to him. _7:45am. _In fifteen minutes, the kids would have to get to school. In thirty minutes, he'd have to get to the Hokage's Office and start working. Although at this point, with the amount of work that he had, he might even be able to leave work by noon.

Hinata took an idle look at the clock too, before eating a bit of food herself. Himawari slowly began to eat her fill, and Bolt slowed his eating down. Together, the members of the Uzumaki family ate their breakfast, in their kitchen, as the sun began to rise from the window outside….

Until of course, a knock came to the door.

They could all hear it from the place they were now seated. Hinata slowly moved to stand, but before she could do so, Naruto raised a hand in front of her. She looked towards him with a confused look in her face. She usually answered the door in their household.

"Don't worry, I'll get it." Usually, he wouldn't get house calls. Not at this time in the morning, at the very least. Not unless it was something important.

He stood up, and brushed himself off, before pushing in his chair and moving to the door. He idly looked down to his clothes, and sighed. He wasn't in his pajamas, but he wasn't in his Kage robes either. Just a black tracksuit. He would have to change that later, but he didn't have time to do so before he answered the door.

He walked through the home until he was at his front door. Not even bothering to look through the peephole, he simply opened the door. He already had an idea of who it could've been…

And his prediction turned out to be right. In front of him was a Hidden Leaf Jonin, standing there in his flak jacket and uniform, his hair done up, standing straight, and with a stern look on his face.

Naruto allowed himself to sigh. He had hoped that today was going to be easy, but it clearly wasn't going to be. He slowly changed his face into the one that he wore outside of his home, an overall neutral look, and looked towards the man in front of him, focusing his eyes. Before he could say anything, the man bowed before him.

"Lord Hokage!" As his head rose, Naruto noticed the bags that were under the ninja's eyes. _Must've been up for a while…_

Naruto nodded to acknowledge the bow, and then began.

"What is it?"

The ninja didn't waste time.

"You are needed at the Hokage Offices as soon as possible, Lord Hokage! It's an emergency!"

His voice was loud for the morning. Louder than his own son's, even. Naruto rubbed his ears, and the man in front of him paused.

"Slow down," He said. "Slow down. What's the matter? Emergency? What do you mean? And why can't it wait for a while longer?"

The man in front of him took a deep breath. Despite the bags under his eyes, he didn't seem to be physically tired. Matter of fact, the look in his eyes was beginning to worry him…

"What's going on?" Naruto asked again. This time his eyes were slowly beginning to cloud over in confusion and worry, and so they softened on the man in front of him. The man saw the Hokage's gaze, and quickly remembered what he had wanted to tell him.

"It can't wait, Lord Hokage. The village was attacked… earlier this morning. There are... casualties…"

The man in front of him gulped, and so Naruto's browns furrowed over in confusion, and fear. Fear for what he could possibly say nex-

"The Kazekage was reported being seen inside the village."

Naruto's eyes widened, and the look on his face quickly turned grim…

_Gaara, what are you-_

"And the Stag- I mean… your advisor, Shikamaru Nara, is in intensive care. And an entire unit of the defence force is also under similar care, sir."

Naruto rose a hand, and then narrowed his eyes.

_Shikamaru… But if Gaara was… __**Oh no.**_

It was clear that the cover-up that the two had been doing for the last ten years was finally uncovered. And with his village being attacked as well…

Naruto scowled. He had heard enough.

"I'll be there in a moment," he said quickly. The Jonin outside nodded, and then Naruto closed his door quickly. Without another thought, he rushed back into the house. Rushing upstairs, he quickly threw on his Kage robes, his hat, and then began to rush back downstairs. Before he could run out the door, however-

"Oh, come on Dad! Not again! I thought you were going to walk us to school…"

Naruto stood with his hand on his doorknob, and he found himself sighing, before turning around to see that his son was now standing behind him, arms crossed, his face clearly not being impressed with his father.

And at any other time, the 7th Hokage would have been open to receive his son, and try to talk him down from his temper. To explain to him that he had to be away. To explain to him, once again, the sacrifices that he, and by extension his family, had to make as he continued to have this position.

_**But not right now.**_

Naruto took a deep breathe, and turned himself back towards the door, coldly and quickly. He would have to explain this to Bolt later. He opened the door.

"Hinata! Himawari! Sorry, I'll have to see you later! It's an emergency!"

He made a quick pause, and then looked at his son with a deep regret in his eyes.

"…And I'll see you later too, Bolt. I need to go."

And before Bolt could open his mouth to speak again, his father was out the door, and the barrier had been put up between them.

And like so many times before, he would have to walk to school with Himawari without his father.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Show me to him. Now."

The ninja who was walking beside Naruto quickly bowed, before having to walk faster just to catch up to the Hokage. It was about ten minutes since Naruto had left his home, and he had found himself walking throughout Konoha's main hospital to survey the casualties himself.

Upon arriving, he had been greeted with a scene of chaos. And as he walked the halls searching for the area that was holding his friend, his mind idly found itself going back to remember exactly what he had seen. There had been a great degree of chaos when he had first arrived, medical nin rushing to and from, people lying in stretchers being tugged from one area to the next. The chaos had been so great that he hadn't even been recognized for a few minutes, before finally one of the medical nin was able to slow down, acknowledge him, and then hastily give her Hokage a quick rundown of what had happened, as she escorted him to the main wing that had been holding the newly injured. From what he could understand, the Headquarters had lost contact with the main defence division sometime in the late evening, and after sending a team there to survey what had gone wrong, they had discovered that all _ninety _members of the defence division were unconscious, and in need of immediate medical attention. They searched for a culprit throughout the rest of the day, before Konohagakure's Military Police Force received a call from the Head of the Nara Clan's residence around midnight. Upon arriving at the scene, they had found both Shikamaru and Temari Nara gravely injured, and their son standing over their bodies. Upon questioning the boy, they had the names of the people who likely had something to do with it.

Gaara of the Sand Waterfall. And Kankuro of the Black Sands.

_Looks like the nin from earlier wasn't exaggerating, _he had though, before finally arriving at the wing where the newly wounded were being held. He had seen some of the ninja injured, and had been notified that for the most part, they weren't suffering from any life-threatening injuries. The few who were seemed to be in good shape to recover, and this Naruto was thankful for. Too many ninja had been killed in this war, and for ninety of them to die in a single night would have been too tragic to begin to recover from. However, of course, the two who _were _suffering from potentially deadly injuries were his advisor and his advisor's wife. At least, that was what he had been told.

The ninja beside him finally began to slow down, turning a corner, and soon they both found themselves at a dead end in the hospital. At the end of the hall was a window, beneath the window was a bench and beside that window on either side of the wall were two doors, leading to two separate rooms. The sun was shining in through the window, whatever sun there was this early in the morning, but that wasn't the thing that made Naruto's hardened face soften.

It was the presence of little Shikadai Nara, sitting on the bench in front of the window, leaning forwards, with his head in his hands, and his elbows resting on his knees. The son of his friend and advisor. The unknowing nephew of the Sand Village's Kazekage. One of Bolt's friends. His head didn't raise, even though he had heard people enter his part of the hallway.

While Naruto studied the child in front of him, the medical ninja beside him began to explain.

"After his parents were brought in by the Military Police Force, he was questioned about what happened. Ever since then… he's just been here."

Naruto continued to look over Shikadai. Even as the medical nin beside him spoke, he still hadn't even stirred. _As still as a statue._

"Has he slept?" Naruto asked. There was a heavy amount of concern obvious in his voice. The medical nin shook her head.

"No. We've offered him a place inside one of the rooms, but he's been adamant about sitting here."

"Mm," Naruto muttered. Then, thinking back to what he had been doing before he had come to work this morning, he had another question.

"Has he been given any food?"

"He's been offered some, but he hasn't eaten anything either."

"So he's just been here the entire time?"

"Yes. He's asked once or twice about what was going on with his parents, but other than that he's just been here. Silent."

Naruto nodded, before smirking a little bit. _Stubborn like his mother._

"I see."

The 7th Hokage then looked towards both of the doors, slowly panning from one to the next.

"So, I suppose Shikamaru and Temari are being held in each of these rooms?"

"Yes."

Naruto looked back towards Shikadai as he spoke the next few words.

"And their conditions are still dangerous?"

"Yes sir. We have ninja working on it, including the head of the hospital, but they're both still in critical condition."

At this, Naruto saw Shikadai's body flinch. Clearly, the boy _was _aware that he and the medical ninja beside him were here. But perhaps this was his way of trying to appear brave. Or perhaps the reality that he was living through was beginning to eat him up inside.

It was doing the same to Naruto, but he had decades on the boy. He was, for the most part, handling it better. This child, on the other hand…

He needed a bit of reassurance. It didn't take a genius to know this.

"Could I be alone for a moment?" Naruto's voice was softer now, so that he knew that Shikadai couldn't hear him. The medical ninja beside him nodded immediately, before reaching into her pocket to hand her Hokage some keys.

"These are for the two rooms here," she stated. "The doors are locked from the inside to prevent unnecessary visitors, but in case you need to head inside yourself…"

Naruto nodded. "I understand. I'll try my best to be quick."

The woman quickly walked away from him then, leaving Naruto and Shikadai alone in the hallway. Taking a breath, Naruto looked back towards the boy who was sitting on the bench in front of him, and walked himself over to sit down beside him. Not too close, but not too far away. He took off his hat, and laid it on his lap, and then leaned himself back against the back of the bench. Looking towards Shikadai, he noticed that, once again, his head remained firmly in his hands, and he remained still in his position, not even noticing the Hokage's presence near him.

Naruto took a breath. It wasn't like the two hadn't met before, as Shikadai used to be a common accessory on light work days for Shikamaru, along with being a common reluctant sidekick for whatever mischief Bolt got himself into. However, the situation the two were in would make this tricky. Despite everything, if this calming thing was going to work, he'd have to appear unaffected by the events. Even though on the inside, he was being chewed up by the prevalent fact that this possibly was the day that his good friend would die.

Naruto took a deep breath. He heard a sudden loud shuffle from the room to his right, and turned his head to see it. The sound was shortly accompanied by a crash. He cringed, and his eyes lingered on the room for a few moments more, before he turned his head back to see how his bench-partner was doing. Upon turning back, he saw that Shikadai had finally come out of his shell, and was looking in horror at the same door that Naruto had been looking at. The boy then looked up at his Hokage nervously, green eyes met blue, and then suddenly the boy stood up on both of his feet, and moved to bow in front of him.

"Oh... Sorry! Lord Hokage sir, I didn't notice you! Sorry if I got in your way!"

Naruto looked on, before raising both of his hands up slowly. Shikadai looked at the man in front of him in surprise, his eyes red, before the Hokage leaned himself back up against the bench, relaxing. He then patted the seat a bit of a ways next to him, and gestured to it.

"It's alright. You were distracted, that's all. No harm done."

Shikadai looked back towards the bench that the Hokage was sitting on. Naruto studied his face to see bags under his eyes, as well as his reddened eyes, before Shikadai took a breath, and then sat himself back down in the seat he was in before. Naruto heard the boy sigh, before he noticed him lower his eyes back to the ground, and slouch over.

"It looks like… my Dad's going to be late for work," the boy stated. His voice was obviously choking on something. His face didn't move to look up at his Hokage at all.

Naruto furrowed his brows, and then nodded. From inside one of the rooms, he heard another loud shuffle.

"I know that. I… I don't really care much about that." There was a pause, and then Naruto continued.

"Although at this point, you're going to be late as well. You should be at school."

Shikadai shrunk himself into his position on the bench, and hid his face even more from his Hokage.

"I'll go later. School's…. troublesome."

The older man looked closer at the young Nara's body. The boy was shaking, visibly. Along with the other evidence that he had picked up from earlier, the man supposed that the boy was crying. But of course, like a child his age would do, he was probably trying to hide it from everyone else.

Naruto took a breath in.

"Hm. I guess school _is _quite _troublesome_, isn't it?" He mused. "I sure found it like that when I was your age. All that work… plus getting up early all the time. All those after school assignments. All that studying…"

Naruto looked back towards the boy to see that he was still sitting in his fetal position. He took a breath, and then continued.

"But know what I loved most about schoo-."

"Not right now, Hokage-sir. I'll go, but not right now. I can't do it right now-."

"Because both of your parents are here. And you're worried sick about them."

He heard a yelp from Shikadai, before he noticed how the boy now pushed his head closer to his body. Naruto bit his lip, and then silently cursed himself. As much as he tried to get better, he never was any good at comforting children. He took a slight breath, and then tried again.

"Can't say I've ever been in your position," he began. "I mean, sitting here like you are like this. I don't even have the details of the problem yet."

Then, the Hokage leaned his head back on the bench the two were sitting on, and looking at the pale ceiling above the both of them.

"But… what I can say is that things are going to turn out to be just alright for you. Your parents have the finest Medical Nin in the village working on their wounds, and from what I understand their injuries were recent. It shouldn't be anything serious. And even if it is, your Dad's a tough guy, and your Mom's no softy either."

He then turned to the boy, to still see that his head was in between his form. Nevertheless, Naruto gave off a reassuring smile towards the child.

"They should be fine."

After his talk, Naruto looked up towards the ceiling, and his grin faded. In truth, he didn't know what he was saying to the boy. He didn't know what was going on in either of the two rooms, and he wouldn't know until someone came out of them. And they could come out with either good or bad news. And if it had been true that Gaara and Kankuro had been the ones to injure the both of them…

He clenched his jaw. There was a chance that things weren't _good_.

_Gaara… Why?!_

He spent a few more moments looking up into the ceiling alone. After a while, he heard another harsh crash from inside one of the rooms. He narrowed his eyes. They should be finished soon, he assumed, even knowing that there was a high chance to being wrong. Finally, he felt a tug on his robes, and his eyes slowly turned to see that the hand that had done the tugging had been Shikadai's.

The boy was now looking up at him, his green pouring into his blue, and the rest around his pupils being clearly visible to him. The boy _had _been crying it seemed, as Naruto noted the faint lines of wet tears that left marks on his eyes, his cheeks and his chin. He was still sitting in his fetal position. The boy took a breath.

"... Promise me, Sir-Hokage? Promise me that they're going to be alright?"

Oh no. It was one of these.

Naruto slowly closed his eyes to think about it. In the world they lived in, especially in the profession that he and his friends were involved with, promises were worth nothing. Just because you said you were returning from the war didn't meant that you were going to be able to survive a pivotal fight in the future. Just because you said that you were going to become Hokage didn't mean that you would ever become it. And just because you promised a scared young boy that his parents were going to live didn't' mean in the slightest that they were going to survive.

And if there was one thing that Naruto always did, it was that he always kept his promises. He promised that he'd return a certain man to the village, and he did. He promised that he'd become the Hokage, and he did. He promised that he'd protect his village, and he was doing his best to do so.

But… he couldn't promise this.

He took a deep breath, and then placed a hand on Shikadai's closest shoulder. His face turned stern and serious, and then his blue eyes poured into his green once again.

"I _can_ promise that everything's going to be alright. And I can promise that _you'll _be just fine, Shikadai."

His firm look slowly faded away into an encouraging smile.

"Trust me."

Shikadai looked at him for a few more moments longer, before allowing himself to relax. His legs moved away from his chest, and he leaned back onto the bench. After another moment, he took a breath, and then nodded.

"Okay. I will."

With so few details of what was actually going on, he'd take whatever he could get. And Naruto wasn't lying. His parents were strong. They were probably going to be okay.

At least, that's what he would _believe. _

Suddenly, Shikadai heard a door open next to him. He turned away from Naruto, and then looked to see that a woman had exited the room. She was a bit shorter than the Hokage, her bright pink hair fell to her shoulders, and her teal eyes were bordered with sweat. She was pretty beautiful, even with all of the perspiration on her face, and within moments of exiting the room, the Nara Heir watched as she lifted a cloth to her face, and wiped the excess water off of her face. After dabbing her face for a while, she blinked, and then heard her voice.

"Done!" She announced, then took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, before slowly looking over to the bench that the two males were sitting on. When she saw her Hokage, her eyes widened in shock.

"Naruto? Here already?"

Shikadai watched as the 7th Hokage stood up to greet the medic.

"Well, yeah. I got a house call… I'm more surprised that you're here, Sakura. It's still pretty early…"

Sakura Uchiha, formerly Haruno, shrugged. Usually so full of energy, the pair were both tired. She momentarily forgot about Shikadai's presence, and simply went on.

"I've been here since the two were brought in. It was… damn. It was just… messy…"

Sakura fell silent for a few moments longer. Then, she remembered that Shikadai was in the area, and then looked down to the little boy, giving him a comforting look.

"But I guess that doesn't matter that much right now. What _does _matter is that your Father's going to be alright."

Shikadai's face slowly lit up at the news. His stance completely relaxed on the bench, as he took in the news. After an entire sleepless night of worrying, his father was going to be okay. He was going to be _just fine._

Naruto had been right.

He gripped his fists in victory, but quickly took back the gesture once remembering that others were watching him. He looked past Sakura to the door that she stood in front of, and then he stood up away from the bench.

"Can I go see him?" He asked. His voice was full of barely contained excitement, but then he remembered another detail to why he was here. His head slowly turned to see behind him, looking at the door that was holding his mother.

She was still in there. The boy shivered, and then looked back at Sakura.

"And what about my Mom? Is she going to be okay?"

Sakura took in a breath.

"You can't go see your father just yet. He still needs a while, I'd guess a few days, to recuperate and fully wake up. He lost a lot of blood. And your mother…"

He watched as Sakura slowly began to flex her fingers, and her eyes left his and looked at the door on the other side of him.

"Well, I'm going to go find that out now. I'll know in a while. Her wounds are…. A completely different ball-game than your father's."

She heard Shikadai gulp, and then saw him lower his eyes from hers. Naruto noticed this as well, and quickly came up with a solution.

"While she figures it out, you should get some rest," he mused. "Or head to school… and rest there. Your teachers will know why you were away. I'll let them know myself."

_All I do is sleep at school anyways. _Shikadai took a deep breath, and then nodded in agreement. There really wasn't anything else for him to do here, and if Sakura could work her magic with his father, then his mother should be alright. And, logically, there was nothing that he could do.

He would… just return later on that day. Or the day after. He'd collect his parents, and then they'd continue on.

The boy nodded to his Kage. His eyes then travelled from the clock above them, to Sakura, and then to Naruto. He sucked in his lips.

"..Thank you, Lord Hokage, Mrs. Uchiha."

The boy then slowly began to walk down the hallway away from the two doors. The two watched the kid as he left, the lag in his step form his lack of sleep, before Sakura's eyes turned to Naruto's once again.

She grit her teeth, and narrowed her eyes.

"A personalized attack like this? After so many months of relative peace… it's sickening to even think about. Just what the _hell _was the Kazekage thinking? And _why _was the Nara Clan Head even targeted?"

She then paused, and then continued with more disbelief in her voice.

"And attacking his own _sister? _That's… have things gotten _that _bad?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes as well, and then scowled even thinking about it.

"I… I guess so," he muttered. "I really can't… a personal assassination attempt? And then the fact that he even knew where Shikamaru lived…"

Naruto gripped his fist. His words came out in a drawl, revealing how tired he was of speaking of this topic all the time.

"And all those injured defence ninja… they were some of our strongest. They were good men and women. They didn't deserve to suffer from such a freak attack like that."

Another pause. Naruto sighed heavily, as he had done so many times during the last ten years, and then slowly crossed his arms.

"And now we have to recalculate everything. I have to find new sentries, you'll have to help heal the injured. Then, I'll have to figure out a counter attack of some kind, or at least a proper response to this. And then after that… most likely the war's just going to become full-fledged, all over again… things like this can't just happen without… ugh."

And that would mean that the rotations would start again. That would mean that the war effort would increase again. That would mean-

_ "Oh, come on Dad! Not again! I thought you were going to walk us to school…"_

Naruto cringed at the very thought. He shook his head in disagreement, even though the two of them knew that what he had said was the truth. In the world they lived in, in the positions that they were in now, with the consequences and the rewards so prevalent and transparent, this was their reality. This was their life now.

This was their war.

Naruto closed his eyes, and then began to leave Sakura in the hallway by herself, without another word. He had to contact Shikadai's teachers. At the very least, he would make sure that Shikamaru's son didn't have any problems with being late for school this day. His footpaths echoed throughout the halls.

However, before he could properly leave the area, Sakura found a way to stop him. She had always been good at that.

"And what happens to Gaara?"

Naruto stopped in his steps. When he replied, he didn't turn around.

"…What do you mean by that?"

Sakura blinked.

"…What are you going to do to him? He's… this is the boldest he's been, Naruto. He's never attacked the village like this before, and it's never been as personal as this. What happens now-."

"We beat him."

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"That's… not what I meant. What do you plan on doing with him now, _after _we've won the war?"

Naruto sighed. Other than that, his voice did not change at all.

"…. I make him see the light. He stays Kazekage, and we become Allies again."

_You __**idiot. **_

Sakura watched the body language of Naruto's back, and once noticing that he man wasn't moving at all, her voice returned to the fray. Even though each word that came out of her mouth seemed to be a cliché for Naruto now.

He and her… he and Shikamaru… he and Sasuke… he and everyone in the village had been having this very same conversation for _years_, now.

"…You're still going to just let him stay in power? After all of this?"

"Yes."

Sakura's eyes darkened.

"… With no repercussions?"

"There will be repercussions, but probably not the ones that you're thinking of."

"After ten years….?"

"Yes."

"…And you still think you can save him-."

"I don't think. I _**know." **_

Naruto's voice was notably stronger than it was before now. Sakura could almost visualize his face. Stern, with narrowed eyes, a deep furrow to his brows…

But hope dripping from his deep, blue eyes.

The very same hope that seemed nearly useless in the world they lived in now.

Sakura took a deep breath. No matter what, she would try to drag Naruto in the real world, and not the world of his fantasies and dreams. Not the world of yesterday.

"… Naruto, just-."

"Sakura. Shut up."

Sakura felt a flare go off in her head, but kept her cool. She noticed the tenseness of Naruto's back through his Kage robes as he finished his words.

"…Sorry for being rude. But…"

There was a pause, and Sakura braced herself. And when Naruto spoke next, she felt something serious strike her mind, her heart, and her soul.

"…If I defeated Pain, I can save Gaara. If I could defeat Madara and save the world, I can save Gaara. If I could change that murderous little boy into the man we once knew, then I can save Gaara…"

"Naruto-."

"_**And if I could bring Sasuke back to you, then I'm going to be able to bring Gaara back from his obscurity. I don't care if this is the second time. I don't care if he pushes a thousand barriers in front of me. I don't care if I have to drag him, as he kicks and screams, back into the man he was ten years ago. I… I'll find a way. I'll prove our village's innocence to him, I'll save Konohagakure, and I'll help Sunagakure. I'll do it. I said at the beginning of this war that I'd do it. This is who I am, and this is my ninja way."**_

Sakura felt something pop in her chest. Thus, she found herself unable to say anything else as her teammate continued to walk away from her, until he was out of the hallway that she was in. And once he was, she gripped both of her fists, and shut her eyes. Not in anger, not in sadness, but in a mental _agony._

Because after all these years, he was still Naruto Uzumaki. No matter how the facts changed, no matter how the war went, and no matter the events, he was still _Naruto. _And it was comforting, for him to still be whom he was after all of these years, when so many had changed.

But at the moment, she didn't know if him being Naruto was going to help their world, or if it was going to hurt it. Even if his intentions were as pure as gold.


	15. Nightmares and Reality

_AN: So I kind of didn't know what to do with this part. I know that it needs to end with a wham, however, so you'll see that. I already know how I want most of the story to go, but at this point it's just a matter of typing it out and sequencing. And once again, thanks to everyone who's been reading this so far._

_A bit of SasuSaku in the last piece. Middle piece has a cameo of one of the Jonin Sensei. Also, did you know that this is around 8k words, and 21 pages? I beat Part 14__th__ record of being the longest part that quickly. XD._

_Oh, and you guys are going to __**hate **__me in the last part. Just a warning._

_I forget to keep stating this, but while I technically own the story,__** I do not own Naruto, nor do I own any of the characters. **__I'm not sure if I have to keep stating this at the beginning of each chapter._

_ Shikadai Nara smiled as his mother wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Lately, he had been trying to keep such displays of excess emotion under his skin, as to prevent others from calling him names, but he supposed that just this once would be ok. His own arms soon made their way around her back as well, and soon his mother had him in a tight grip. He would almost feel her smile._

_ "Nice job today, kiddo."_

_ He let himself grin. _

_ "Thanks Mom."_

_ He then felt her hands ruffle his hair. He squinted before closing, and then slowly moved himself so that he was closer to her, her warmth, and her love. Emotionally, he loved it. Despite how troublesome his mother could be, he still loved her. Practically, it was cold outside anyways. Winter was coming, after all. And even though there was a sun shining through on this autumn's day, any extra heat he could get was best._

_ Moments passed and the two stayed like that…_

_ Until Shikadai felt his Mother let go of him. Abruptly._

_ His eyes opened again, and he saw…_

_ The red haired man with the gourd on his back, his arms crossed. The Fifth Kazekage._

_ Immediately, Shikadai fell back, and scurried away from the man. Not again, he thought. There was a pillar of sand beside him, and the sunny world that he was on quickly turned into a clouded, gray landscape. The smell of blood and sand began to overtake the air, a torrent of sand began to whip up in his surroundings, a sandstorm was formed, and Shikadai nearly threw up on impulse. He began to shiver in fear, before seeing his mother's face emerge from the middle of the sand pillar._

_ Shikadai wrecked his mind for a plan. Temari's face was blank, her eyes unfocused. As if she wasn't there. As if she was dead._

_ Then, another person entered the sudden, makeshift battlefield._

_ "Shikadai, get back!"_

_ He saw his father run into his view from behind him, his hands already in the same sign that he had seen other members of his clan do so many times before. Shikadai scampered to his feet, and then watched as his father shot his shadows out towards the Kazekage. The Sand Ninja didn't move at all, and instead simply flinched one of his hands, to throw a torrent of sand towards his father. Shikamaru dodged this, and shot more shadows towards the Kazekage. The man didn't lift a finger, simply the sand that had been shot towards Shikadai's father rebounded and moved to protect him against Shikamaru's shadows. _

_ Shikamaru kept on running towards the Kazekage, and as a response, the Kazekage began to move his arms again. The sand that had blocked Shikamaru's shadow now constricted him, and threw him away, out of Shikadai's view. _

_ "Dad!" Shikadai screamed. He reached a hand forwards in the direction that his father had been thrown, but quickly felt his head being turned in the other direction. And that was when he saw the Kazekage's face directly in front of him, staring him down._

_ At this point, the boy felt smaller than he had ever felt before. Like a mouse finally caught by a cat. The man's cold, pale eyes bored down into his, and Shikadai immediately knew he wanted to run away. He wanted to move. He wanted to cry out. He wanted his mother. He wanted his father. He wanted to live._

_ As Shikadai felt a torrent of sand surround him, the words of the Kazekage would echo in his mind forever._

_**"This had to happen."**_

_ Shikadai felt a grip on his shoulder, and he finally found the strength to cry out-_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Shikadai's eyes immediately opened, and he found himself jumping back, once again. But, as he felt back he didn't feel the grain or hardness that one might expect from a sandy location_…_

Instead he felt the cold sensation of a classroom floor. Along with a loud _thud, _as his chair landed before him. And when the boy opened his eyes, he wasn't greeted by the hellish landscape of the battlefield.

Instead, as his eyes finally opened, he saw the bright lights of the ceiling, the underwood of his desk, and the light teal eyes of Inojin Yamanaka staring at him.

And after a few moments, he began to hear laughter. Of his peers, of course.

Inojin's eyes immediately snapped away from his, and return to look around the classroom, amongst the roars of merriment and the isolated snickers and giggles.

"That's not funny, guys!" Inojin snapped. "It really isn't!"

Another familiar voice was heard by Shikadai, as he slowly found his bearings on the floor, and rolled over so that he could get up.

"Of course it is! Heh, that's what you get for sleeping in class!"

Shikadai could see Inojin's face mess up even more. His pale skin was starting to get red.

"Guys, he hit his head! What if he hurt himself seriously!?"

"I don't care! One less rival for me!"

"Class, class! Calm down!"

From his position on the floor, Shikadai heard a loud tapping noise from the front of the room. Before he could move up and see what was going on, he saw a hand enter his view. An open hand. Slightly covered with crumbs.

He knew who it was before she even opened her mouth to talk.

"Hey Shikadai. You alright?" The voice whom the hand belonged to asked out, a bit quietly. Shikadai slowly banned his eyes up to see Chocho Akimichi sitting there next to him on her chair. Her eyes were softly muddled over with a slight worry, and when Shikadai didn't immediately respond, she began to frown. She waved her hand.

"Shikadai!"

Shikadai finally snapped out of it, and slowly finished pushing himself up off the ground. He held onto her hand, getting some of the crumbs onto his own hand, and stood up to face her. He placed one of his hands on the back of his head, nursing the new bump that he had.

"Yeah… I'm fine."

"You sure?" She asked again.

"Yeah-."

On the other side of him, he heard a slight rustling sound, and when he finally turned himself to look behind him, he saw that Inojin had picked his chair back up for him. Shikadai rubbed his head.

"Thanks guys," he muttered. He slowly inched himself back into his chair, and then leaned forwards on his desk. He heard both Chocho and Inojin move back into their chairs, before he looked forwards towards the chalkboard in front of him to see that his teacher had been waiting for him to get back up.

Shikadai took a deep breath, and continued to rub the back of his head. He had a good idea of what had happened to him. He fell asleep in class, as per usual. Unusually however, he had a nightmare. Unusually, he ended up leaning back too much and falling back onto his back. Unusually, he had become the laughing stock of most of the class, and now he had a giant headache along with the pain of him falling back.

_Troublesome._

And all the while, the boy was still in a partial daze.

"Shikadai Nara," his Academy teacher addressed. Shikadai's eyes moved from the chalkboard towards the eyes of his teacher. Or rather, the lenses that that he wore around his eyes.

He gulped, and then sighed.

"Yes, Aburame-sensei?"

Shino Aburame's neutral face slowly relaxed itself, and he took a slight breath.

"What happened?"

Shikadai shrugged. There really wasn't a way to say what happened without it sounding weird.

"I was sleeping, then I fell back when I woke up."

There were a few isolated snickers in the audience. Shikadai watched as his teacher once again tapped a piece of chalk against the chalkboard, and after a few moments the class finally calmed down a bit. Except for one person, of course.

"Haaahaaahaaa!" Shikadai's eyes narrowed as they slowly focused on the one boy who was still laughing at him. On the other side of the room, near the front row. Blue eyes, bright yellow hair. Stupid black jumpsuit.

Bolt Uzumaki.

"They should strap you to a chair, eh Shikadai? So you don't fall of one again!"

Shikadai simply rolled his eyes. He didn't have time to play with Bolt this morning. Truthfully, he wanted to have time to think about what his nightmare had even meant-

"Cut it out, Bolt." Shino's voice was displaying a practiced ease, and yet Shikadai could still tell that he was tired of this as well. "A fellow classmate getting hurt like that isn't something to laugh about. Why you ask? Even from something as simple as that, you could be left with an injur-."

"I vote that we all give Shikadai a new nickname! The Great Stag's falling _fawn! _Haaahahahha!"

Shikadai could feel a vein raise in his brow. He _hated _being referred to as that. A _Fawn. _He wasn't a baby anymore. He was slowly becoming more and more independent of his parents, and his clan. And yet everyone still referred to him as an extension of his father, and if not that then a helpless _infant deer. _

Shikadai began to formulate a plan to make Bolt shut up. Thankfully, his friends were already ten steps ahead of him. For once.

"Err, Shut it Blondie!" Inojin spurted. He lifted one of his hands and pointed towards Bolt from their position in the middle right row. He, Shikadai, Chocho and three other classmates were sitting perfectly in the middle of the class in terms of rows, and right in terms of columns. It was a good position.

"Course, you'd be the one talking! I can't wait to see _you _bump your head! Stupid!"

Bolt heard the insults, and then turned around so that he was facing his new adversary.

"Did you just call me Blondie, _Blondie?!_" He sneered.

"Yeah I did!"

"That doesn't even make any sense! Go back to drawing stick figures!"

Shikadai could heard Inojin gasp loudly, and slowly covered his ears with his hands, preparing for the upcoming rant. Before he could do so completely, he saw a small bag of chips enter his view. Looking towards the hand that offered the bag, he could see that it was from Chocho. Their eyes met, and she shrugged.

"Take some. You're gonna need it."

Shikadai shrugged back, and then reached inside to take out a chip, and let the salty flavour evaporate on his tongue. Usually, Shino would scold them on eating in class, but today he seemed to not care.

Meanwhile, Inojin's rant began.

"How _dare _you compare my _**beautiful**_ paintings, sketches and my _art _to _stick figures! _You're just angry that I can actually draw! Oh, and my Justus' better too! At least I can begin to use my clan's techniques! When are you gonna be able to use Shadow Clone Jutsu like your Dad, Bolt?"

Bolt prepared to speak again, but before he could he could Shikadai watched, with refreshments, as Shino threw a piece of chalk onto his desk. He purposely missed Bolt, but that didn't prevent the boy from jumping back a bit in his chair, and turning to look forwards once again. Shikadai's eyes followed Bolt's, and he saw Shino's mouth curl into a scowl.

"_**Enough, Bolt." **_He scolded. "The same goes for you too, Inojin. And everyone else who participated. It's not healthy nor smart to be making fun of your comrades who are in pain."

The bug user waited a few moments. No other child spoke, and he wiped a piece of sweat from his brown in relief, before turning back to Shikadai.

"Now, Shikadai. I repeat, are you in a condition where you can continue on learning today?" Even as Shino said this, he knew that the boy would probably just go back to sleep again.

Shikadai nodded slowly. His head still hurt, but the last thing he needed was more attention. Whatever the dream had meant, whatever his sleep schedule would be like, he'd figure out on his own.

"Yes."

Behind his lenses, Shino narrowed his eyes. The Hokage himself had called in to report that Shikadai was still coming to school and even before he had done so, Shino wasn't slow. He knew what had happened the day before, and he knew how much stress the child must have been under. The moment that the boy had entered the school earlier this day, he had tried to persuade him to make use of the resting room in the office, but Shikadai had refused, for whatever reason he had. He could only imagine what the child was thinking now, with his head hurt and him clearly being unstable enough to even end up with the injury, but ultimately all he could he had done. He also had to make sure not to isolate him from the rest of the class.

"I see. Well then class, we will continue."

Shino turned himself around, and began to draw upon the chalkboard behind him.

"Now class, we're going to do a little review. On angles mostly, but we will also go over probability…"

Shikadai tuned out of the conversation, and he slowly leaned himself back into the back of his chair. Chocho raised her bag of chips, and Shikadai took a few more of them into his mouth. He noticed as Chocho pushed the chip bag over to Inojin, who took a few as well. Then Inojin passed the bag back.

Shikadai allowed his mind to run back to the nightmare he had finished hav-

_**"This had to happen."**_

He nearly fell back to the ground a second time, before he quickly learned forwards just in time to keep his balance. He clearly wasn't well enough to even think about that at the moment. He couldn't think back to the dream. He couldn't think back to earlier this morning, when he had been sitting in the hallway, sitting there, hoping and praying that his mother and father would be alright. He couldn't think back to the day before, when his sleep had been interrupted with the sounds of battle, and had culminated in him waking up and moving to see his mother and father dying, along with the Kazekage and another man standing in proximity to their could-be corpses. He… he couldn't…

The day before. When he had been so dismissive, so disrespectful to his mother and father. What if that had been the last time he would be able to see them? What if they died with the idea that their son didn't like them?

Shikadai slowly moved his hands to his temple, and began to rub it. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't very well do that in a school, surrounded by the rest of his peers, and by his teacher. He couldn't do any of that crying in public either. He wouldn't even allow himself to do it within the confines of his own home. He didn't want to cry. No, he wanted to cry. He didn't know what to do. Their fates, everything was out of his hands. And what if because they were, he lost-

He felt a nudge, and his eyes slowly opened so that he could notice that Inojin had nudged him.

"You should pay attention," he said. Shikadai's eyes opened to reveal his confused look. Inojin noticed this, then shrugged.

"Okay then. Copy off of my notes after the lesson then, kay?"

Shikadai took a deep breath, and nodded. He needed to calm down. His life… it would turn out fine. It needed to turn out fine. It had to turn out fine. As his mind began to race a mile a minute, his mind traced back to the words of his Hokage.

Yes, his mother and father were strong. His father was the Great Stag of Konoha, and his mother was the woman that he had married. She couldn't be that weak because of that. Lady Sakura herself was working on them, and his father's life had already been secured. It was just his mother now. His mother. His mother was strong. From all of the times she had scolded him and yelled at him, she at least had to have some stone. Some grit. Some power. She just had to have it. And, of course…

_"I __**can**__ promise that everything's going to be alright. And I can promise that you'll be just fine, Shikadai."_

Naruto Uzumaki was known for never telling a lie. Renowned for it, actually. And if he said that things were going to be alright, then things were going to be alright. A silly, stupid dream wasn't going to change that.

And as Shikadai's head slowly laid upon the desk, he reminded himself of that. It had just been a nightmare, nothing more.

But at the same time, nothing less.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_One Day Later…_

When Shikamaru Nara began the motion of opening his eyes, he was sure that he had cheated death. Whatever had happened to him earlier clearly hadn't been throughout and potent enough to finally end his life. Whatever struggling and fighting he had done with his body, conserving his chakra, slowing his breathing, and keeping his energy levels low, had allowed him to survive through the night. And most importantly, Temari's efforts at keeping him alive, and her fighting off her brothers, had successfully saved his life.

But as his eyes focused, he immediately noted how there was only the dark, and began to doubt his previous prediction.

He took a deep breath, and continued to look around without moving his head. In all directions except one, there was nothing but the pitch black darkness. In the one direction that there wasn't, he could see a source of bright, white light, with some of the light revealing a path leading into it. With this knowledge, he took a breath.

After a moment or two, he allowed himself to try moving. There was nothing visible wherever he was now, and whatever was in the light would be worth investigating. He slowly wiggled one of his legs, before slowly doing the same to the other. He was surprised when it was revealed that he could, in fact, move his arms, even after the injuries he had sustained. He pushed himself onto his arms and knees, and then slowly stood himself up onto his feet.

The moment he did that, he felt a pain in his chest. He lurched forwards and placed both of his hands onto it, and then looked down. From the light that shined in the darkness, he could barely see that the wound that he had sustained the night before was still there, yet all of the blood from it was gone. He lifted his hands to his face, seeing that they were still battered, yet, just like the wound he had in his chest, they were also devoid of blood. They were not even bandaged.

Shikamaru returned his hands to his sides, and then furrowed his brows.

_What the hell is going on?_

He looked ahead towards the light in front of him. It was just a blank white, with no real altercations at all. There was no image in it. Simply a path leading towards it. He looked down to notice that he was on the path. A lightly dirt trodden road.

Other than the light, the area looked like… nothing. Which made Shikamaru slowly begin to panic. It looked like… nothing. Where was he?

Was he… dead?

There was nothing else in the area. No other sounds. The only thing was the light, and the dirt road that lead towards it.

Shikamaru closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath. He had heard of all of the stories. You walk into the light, and then you go to Heaven. Or Hell, depending on your life's actions. Once you walked into the light, there was no going back to the mortal world. Once Shikamaru went through it, there was a chance that he would never be able to return. Once he walked through, he would never see Konohagakure again.

Once he walked through, he would never see Temari or Shikadai ever again.

The thoughts began to rake his mind. There was nothing here in this void for him, but once he walked through the light, there would be no returning. If there was a chance for him to live again, in the world of the living, maybe there was a way to get there if he stayed in the void for a while longer.

He spat onto the ground below him, or whatever was below him, at the thought of that. He knew better than anyone. There was no true way to resurrecting others, not in their world. The only person who had successfully done so had died a long time ago. If he was here, if he was dead, then he was dead. There was no going back.

He closed his eyes in shame. Temari's efforts had all been useless if this was the case. And Shikadai…

He was too young to lose his father. And he and Temari had been through too much for him to just leave her a widow.

His method of thinking was interrupted by the sound of a voice that he never thought he'd hear again, coming from the direction of the light.

"Shikamaru. Come on, let's go."

Shikamaru's eyes immediately opened, and then his eyes drifted into the light once again. He could remember that voice from anywhere.

"…Asuma-sensei?"

When he didn't receive an answer immediately, he assumed that he had been hallucinating. He nearly returned to his previous point of thinking, before the voice returned once again…

"That'd be me." There was a pause, before the voice continued.

"There's nothing for you there. Walk into the light."

Shikamaru felt a prang on his chest once again. There was no mistaking it. The voice sounded _exactly _like Asuma's. _Exactly _like his sensei. Exactly like the man who had died some twenty two years before this day. It was, to Shikamaru's ears, the same gravely and low bravado. He could almost hear the smoke off of it. It was… his voice…

Shikamaru shook his head lightly. There was no mistaking it now. If Asuma was somewhere here, then he was surely dead.

He looked towards the white light, towards where Asuma's voice had come from, and saw nothing but the bright light. He reminded himself of the possibly consequences of walking into the light. If he walked into the light, then whatever chance of him returning to the world of the living was gone. Any chance of seeing his wife and child again finished. Any chance of him hanging out with Choji and Ino, any chance of him assisting Naruto, any chance of him continuing to protect his village would be over.

His eyes lowered, and he sucked in his lips. He hadn't even been given a chance to properly say goodbye to any of them.

But what Asuma said had been correct. There… was nothing in the void where he stood. If he was here and dead, then there was no chance of him returning to life. He could stand in the void forever, or he could enter the light, and accept his death. Accept his end.

Accept what he had done.

Shikamaru took a deep breath.

_Temari… Shikadai… everyone… I'm sorry._

He slowly began to walk towards the light. As he walked towards it, he moved a hand to cover his eyes as the intensity of the bright colour continued. And finally, as the path leading to the light ended, he took a breath.

He was leaving his life behind now. And there was no going back.

Another quick breath, and he walked into the light.

The white expanse that he had walked into quickly became too much for him to bare, and so he closed his eyes to save his vision. He did so for many moments, until he began to feel the light lessen, and it soon was at a bearable level once again. And as he opened his eyes, his jaw slightly dropped, and his brows went high above his eyes. He wasn't standing in the darkness, nor the light anymore. Instead, it was the inside of a place he had been many times in the past…

Yakiniku Q. Team Asuma's favorite restaurant.

He immediately looked around, slowly turning his head back and forth. No one was there, at least not from what he could see from his position at the front of the restaurant, and yet the restaurant was exceedingly clean. Random grills throughout the building were on, one at each table, despite it's lack of patrons, and the inside was very warm, despite the lack of staff. Looking outside of the windows of the building he could see a large, strong summer's sun shining in from the sky, signaling mid-day. The building smelt of charcoal, but Shikamaru could also smell a trace of burning meat, coming from a location somewhere in front of him.

Still confused, he slowly began to walk forwards towards the smell of meat. He noted that he was still wearing the same clothes from when he was still in the world of the living, and his sandals made a light clogging noise as he walked. He slowly passed tables, until he arrived at the back of the restaurant. He prepared to turn the corner, as the smell got more and more intense, before he was interrupted.

"Hey. Shikamaru."

Shikamaru froze in his steps. The voice had come from directly behind him, and even before he turned around to greet him, he knew who it was. The same voice from earlier.

Asuma Sarutobi.

When Shikamaru looked at his old master for the first time in twenty two years, he didn't exactly know what to do. He had found him sitting at one of the tables he had passed, leaning up straight against the back of the bench, and placing a few pieces of the raw beef in front of him onto the grill. When Shikamaru fully turned around, he quickly noted that Asuma looked the same way he did those twenty two years ago, with no altercations, with the exception that his killing wound was nowhere to be found. Same beard. Same hair. Same tan, same face. Years of growth didn't change that fact that his sensei was still probably taller than him. He was still wearing his clothes from the day he had died.

Shikamaru spent a few more moments standing there, simply looking at his sensei with utter shock in his eyes. What he had heard earlier couldn't have been a hallucination. Here was his sensei. Sitting in front of him. His eyes looking over Shikamaru, and his face in a neutral and knowing look.

Moments passed before there was another sound. Asuma's voice entered the fray once again.

"Hey. You got taller."

Shikamaru's face dazed over with utter confusion once again, before it slowly returned to a neutral look.

"…Asuma-Sensei?" He repeated from earlier. Asuma nodded, and then gestured to the seat in front of him.

"Yeah. Might as well sit down. We… have a lot to talk about. And so little time to do so."

_Not a lot of time to talk? _Shikamaru pondered. He slowly slipped himself into the seat in front of his former master, and then leaned back. He continued to look around himself, trying to figure out exactly what was happening to him, before he heard Asuma place a few more pieces of meat onto the grill in between them. He turned back towards Asuma, and then spent a few moments simply looking his former master over. After a few moments, he placed his hands onto the table in front of him, and then took a deep breath, a slight tingle coming to his nose.

"… I'm dead, aren't I?"

Shikamaru's eyes lowered at this. A moment passed, before Asuma's voice answered his question.

"…Maybe. If you're here, anything's possible."

Shikamaru's eyes continued to look down onto the floor, as his face slowly turned into one of sorrow. Asuma narrowed his eyes at this.

"Don't get sad, Shikamaru. You didn't do anything wrong."

He moved to flip over the pieces of meat that grilled on the grill in front of him, while Shikamaru took a breath.

"Sure, sure." Asuma looked back up at him, and before Shikamaru could think back to the ones he had abandoned, he interrupted him.

"… Let's not think of that right now. We don't know if you're really coming with me, do we? For now…"

Asuma took a look back at his meat, then back at Shikamaru, and his look turned genuine.

"…First things first. Thanks for looking after Kurenai and Mirai for all these years."

Shikamaru leaned back up, and then nodded.

"It was your last wish. I was always going to follow it."

"Yeah, but the way you followed it…"

Asuma's eyes slowly saddened, and he missed Shikamaru's eyes for a few moments.

"...It was almost like Mirai actually had a father."

Shikamaru nodded slowly.

"… Don't beat yourself up over it. You left her a great memory, a good example to live by and she has a great mother. She sometimes feels upset about… your death… but really she just wants to make you proud."

_I hope my memory's enough, if I'm really gone. _Shikamaru then noticed Asuma's eyes slowly gain colour and emotion again, and then he spoke again.

"… I still should've been there. But… here's no use in getting upset over it. She's her own woman now, and Kurenai's still healthy and alive. And I can't help from where I am, it's beyond my power."

Shikamaru realised this.

"Wait a minute… where are we?"

Asuma leaned back again.

"I guess you could call it a sort of purgatory. Souls come here, idle for a while, and eventually they're judged and they either go to Bliss or they go to Perdition."

"If that's true, then why are you here? You died a long time ago."

"I guess you could say I bended the rules. I've already been assigned, but once I saw you die, I wanted to be the one to guide you to… well… wherever you end up going. Just in case we ended up in different places."

Shikamaru nodded, and took in the information, before reviewing it and noticing…

"Wait… how did you know that that happened to me?"

"Uh… we can say I've been watching, Shikamaru."

"How much did you see-"

"It's complicated to say, really. Some things, about some people that I've grown close to, I'm just able to view…"

"… I get it."

"Yeah, if you end up coming with me, it's going to mess with your mind. Eventually you'll get used to it."

Shikamaru looked up at him, and then narrowed his eyes.

"Right… I… I see…"

He looked back into his lap, and then his mind began to whirl. In truth, he had so many things that he wanted to ask Asuma, but now that he was with him none of those things would arrive with him. _But, of course_, he supposed sadly. _If I end up going to the same place he went, I'll eventually remember._

Asuma's meat finally finished cooking, and he then evenly distributed the food amongst him and his student. Once the grill was clear, he heard Shikamaru speak up, as he placed a piece into his mouth.

"…Was there anything else you wanted to let me know?"

When Shikamaru began to eat himself, Asuma nodded, and continued.

"The funny thing is, I had a lot of ideas of what I wanted to say… but now that you're actually here… Well."

He paused, then continued.

"Let's continue with more of the good. The Ino-Shika-Cho formation continues to be a success, the Will of Fire is still strong within you, Konohagakure is still a wonderful place to live, and the Land of Fire is holding out quite well against the Land of Wind, and obviously you have a lot to do with that."

Shikamaru finished eating a piece of meat, and then took a breath, and narrowed his eyes.

"The bad?"

Asuma sighed, and then made sure that his eyes met Shikamaru's.

"Exactly _how _were you expecting to end the War in a way that would appease your woman _while _still protecting Konoha, Shikamaru?"

A verbal punch to the face.

Shikamaru sat back, and then took a few minutes to compose himself. It was a question that he had struggled with for the entirety of the war, and even he never really had an answer to it. It had been the source of many arguments, him versus his wife, him versus his peers, him versus his Hokage, him versus himself. Whatever ideas he and his wife had about the subject were always under the scrutiny of others, and sometimes they even conflicted with each other's.

He was dead. He didn't want to think of what he had failed to do.

He took a breath.

"I would win the war, then both villages would begin to rebuild."

Asuma leaned forwards.

"How?"

"…Mutual co-operation-."

"Do you really think that people would get over a 10 year war that quickly, and just rebuild?"

Shikamaru paused, and then frowned.

"No, but eventually things would work out. People don't stay mad forever-."

"Bah. You'd be surprised how far someone's anger and thirst for revenge could compel them to do something…"

There was a pause.

"…You would know-."

"I _**would **_know."

There was another pause, and then Shikamaru continued.

"…As long as neither Gaara, Kankuro or Temari die, it should work. Those two wouldn't hurt Temari-."

"And yet they tried to kill you."

'They didn't know-."

"And even if they did, they wouldn't just sit there and let you live. They might love their sister, but their village comes first. That's the way it is for all Shinobi."

Shikamaru's brows widened slightly, and Asuma shook his head lightly.

"Listen, it's good to be optimistic. And I can see why you'd think like this, in the world you live in now. But you and I both know that what you two want is-."

Suddenly, the light from the window began to intensify. The two of them looked up to the sun at the same time, to see that it was the cause of the slowly intensifying light. The shadows on the replica of Konoha outside began to increase, and Shikamaru also began to notice that the colours of what he saw began to turn into simple black and white. Asuma's face slowly turned into one of sorrow, while Shikamaru's' turned into one of confusion.

The process of the world's ruination soon began to intensify. Moments after the brightening sun, Shikamaru began to notice that structures in his surrounding were also going away, as his vision continued to lose colour. The table in between him and Asuma began to dematerialize, the food and the grill in front follow suit, and the benches that they both sat at began to fade away. He turned back to Asuma.

"What's happening?" Shikamaru asked. His voice slightly cracked.

Asuma let out a small grin.

"… I guess you aren't dead after all…"

Shikamaru felt overcome with both sorrow and joy. He would be able to return to his home, he would be able to see his wife and his son, he'd be able to continue on, and he would be able to continue his plan. Konohagakure would still have it's Great Stag.

He wanted to cheer outwardly, but when he looked back to Asuma, he noticed as his eyes suddenly lit up in a horrified look. By now, all of the colour that Shikamaru had been able to see before was completely gone, replaced by the monochrome. Asuma's eyebrows contracted, and his face slowly turned from horrified to simply guilty, as he looked at his former student. Both student and teacher shared a gaze, before Shikamaru spoke out.

"… Asuma-sensei? What is it...?"

Asuma's face continued its remorseful appearance, and he neither moved nor did he speak. By now, the restaurant around them had completely faded away. They were both sitting on nothing, surrounded by a white void, and now there was nothing but the both of them. Shikamaru's' view, however, continued to turn black and white, and his vision now blurred. Asuma's face was now barely viewable.

"Asuma!" He cried out. There was something wrong with the reaction Asuma had given out. What did he see? What happened? Did he forget something? Was he begin attacked? Was he-

Asuma finally reacted, and he reached out to place his hands on both of Shikamaru's shoulders. Shikamaru could feel it at first, but quickly that too began to fade. Asuma took a loud, audible breath, and then narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru, and his face took a stern turn.

"…I… I saw something. Listen ….You're going to go through Hell. Hell on Earth. You're going to experience something that neither I, nor your father, nor your mother, nor anyone of your blood has ever experienced. It's going to be nasty. It's going to have you screaming. It's going to have you angry. It's going to test you. I can't tell you what _it _is. It's physically impossible for what I am…"

Shikamaru could barely feel Asuma's grip, yet he could tell that it had increased.

"All I can say is that, you got to make sure that you survive it. Survive _all _of it. And you got to make sure that it doesn't _change _you, either."

Asuma's body began to fade away, and Shikamaru's vision finally blurred to a point where he could barely make out his face.

"Because if you can survive what it is, then you're going to be the strongest man I'll ever know. And Konohagakure will need a guy like that."

Asuma let out a grin, and the last thing Shikamaru saw before he entered the black void once again was his teeth.

"Hell… if your predictions are right, Sunagakure might need a man like you too."

Asuma faded from Shikamaru's view, and he felt himself falling fast.

"Goodbye Shikamaru. Tell everyone I said hi. Especially Kurenai and Mirai. Like always, I'm counting on _you_."

_Crash._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Meanwhile…_

"_That's _your plan, Naruto?!"

The 7th Hokage nodded, and then leaned forwards onto his desk.

"Yeah. What were you expecting? We can't just chase after him like that-."

"_Bullshit._" Sasuke Uchiha rose from his seat in front of the Hokage's desk, and began to pace back and forth.

"We can't just let him stumble in, injure a whole unit, try to assassinate a Clan Leader and his wife, and then let him walk back out!"

"Well what're suggesting then? That we send a squad of people out there, endangering their lives, _just _so we can get early payback?"

Sasuke paused, and then he stopped his pacing momentarily.

"… Won't need a squad..."

Naruto took a deep breath. From Sasuke's vague words, he could still figure out what he meant.

"… By the time you and I head out of the village, Gaara and Kankuro would be back in Sunagakure," he said softly. Idly, he turned on the computer that sat on his desk, and began to check his mail. He continued.

"Besides, it's too risky. We… we just need to wait for a different opportunity. And strengthen the village in the meantime."

Sasuke almost spoke out again, but Naruto stopped him before he could start.

"Yeah yeah, Sasuke. I know what you're about to say. We… almost had peace. Didn't we?"

Sasuke sighed heavily, and then moved to go back and sit in his chair. Once he was seated, he leaned back, and then took a deep breath. His eyes slightly turned to the sun setting in the sky, and he sighed once again.

"Yes… we almost did…" he muttered. "But it looks like we're back on the warpath again, aren't we? Which is why measures such as these-."

"Sasuke-."

"Are suitable. This is what you _**do **_in a war. Either we chase after him, or we give to him what he gave to us! We attack their village, we injure many, and then Gaara never does something like this ever again!"

Sasuke was now leaning forwards in his chair, his elbows on his knees, his face slowly turning red, and his temper flaring. Naruto, behind his desk and on his computer looking up reports, stayed calm. A reversal of what each of them were.

A symptom of the war.

The head of the Uchiha Family suddenly widened his eyes in shock, and then lowered them, his face going solemn.

"…Pfft, look at me," he jeered, leaning back in his chair once again. "What a loser am I, right? I sound like a vengeful idiot…"

_Wouldn't be the first time, _Naruto thought. He took a deep breath, and then let out a whistle of air.

"I guess we all have flaws, right? Heh… 'What you do in a war'. Wish Tsunade or Kakashi had left a book about that here for me. For the first time in my life, I probably would've read it. You know, the book."

Sasuke smirked. Naruto saw his smirk, and gave out a friendly grin back. Sasuke nodded.

"And even if you read that book, you'd probably miss out on about 90% of the content, and only get a few lessons out of it. So you assume that's all there was to it for about a year, until I read it…"

"Then you'd miss out on 60% of the content, because you'd assume the rest is filler, or useless. Then we'd be thinking we knew everything out of the book for the rest of the year…"

"Until my wi- Sakura found the book. She'd read the rest of it, call the both of us _idiots_ for not reading the entire book through, and then maybe then we'd finally have enough knowledge to win the war-."

"Not really."

"Mm?"

"Not really. Because then we'd get our asses kicked, and Shikamaru would let us know that the book is outdated by… damn, if it was written by Tsunade it'd be around 50 years old or something, wouldn't it? Then he'd figure out a battle strategy or two that'd save the village. All the while complaining about how _troublesome _the whole ordeal was."

Sasuke let out a chuckle. He and Naruto always found it easy to relax around each other, even if there was peril all around them. Naruto laughed too, and then continued.

"Really, my plan of just simply defending the village is just a hold over for until Shikamaru wakes his ass up. Once he does, we might actually have a good counter-attack plan. Or at least a good idea of what the hell we're going to do. I'm not good at this strategizing stuff, at least not as good as hi-."

Naruto was interrupted by the sound of the door to the office opening and closing. Both the Hokage and the Head of Konohagakure's Police Force turned towards the doorway to see Sakura Uchiha standing in front of it. Blood on her doctor's uniform. Some traces of blood on her gloves. Standing in a near daze. A horrified and guilty look on her face.

Sasuke immediately stood up, automatically sensing that something was wrong, while Naruto continued to watch her from his position behind the desk, before his eyes slowly widened in shock, confusion and fear.

"Sakura?" Sasuke's voice sounded weak and pathetic, but Naruto had noted over the years it usually did when he was around her. Sakura didn't seem to register his voice, her head continued to look down, and she continued to stand there.

In response, Sasuke's eyes widened, and he slowly began to walk over to her. Within his mind he panicked, for the appearance and action of his wife were similar to a injured and weakened woman. On the outside, he tried to keep himself silent, as he slowly moved over to her, looking over her, and seeing no wounds. He repeated himself.

"Sakura?"

There was still no response. Sasuke quickly wrapped his arms around his wife, and squeezed, her head on his shoulder, chest to chest, heart to heart. Her heart was still beating, he could feel it, but for whatever reason she was stiff, and as cold as snow.

And there was blood on her. There was blood on his _wife._

He knew she was a medical ninja, but he still worried. His mind still choked itself for answers.

"…Sakura!"

Finally, Sakura seemed to react. She jolted out of whatever she was in, and responded to Sasuke's protective hold. Her body began to warm, and she blinked multiple times, struggling to remember exactly what she had come here for…

But once she remembered, she began to feel a sickness to her stomach, and her face tensed.

"Sasuke…" her voice trailed off. The Uchiha Clan head allowed himself to smile, and he placed a kiss onto her broad forehead.

"Sakura... are you alright?"

"Yes… yes I'll… I'll be fine…"

Before Sasuke could hold her tighter again, she finished breaking whatever peace, laughter and happiness there had been in the room before with a single sentence.

** "But Temari won't be."**

Upon the mention of Temari, Naruto's ears piped up. And upon the reveal of her condition, he wished that they hadn't. Sasuke's grip weakened on Sakura, and Sakura took a deep breath, steeling herself, as she broke free of his grasp. Sasuke was too in shock to follow his wife towards the Kage Desk where she walked towards, and simply his head turned to watch her, as his mouth slowly began to hang agape. Naruto stood up straight in his chair, turned his computer monitor off, and watched Sakura with wide, horrified eyes as she made her way to his desk.

The first thing she did when she got there was slam both of her hands down on the tabletop, and then lean forwards. Her face revealed it's stressed state, her eyes bore into his.

"…Her wounds were internal. Like I said earlier, they were completely different from Shikamaru's. Gripping, a few stabs here and there. A lot of traces of different poisons, most of which we had never seen before. But those poisons weren't going to kill her. They weren't meant to really kill anyone, just slowly shut down systems."

She took a breath, and then continued. Her voice began to crack, and Naruto could see the tears begin to well in her eyes.

"….What really is the… cause of her death… is the fact that her ribcage was crushed. And her heart, lungs and liver were _fucked_ along with it. She's… only still alive because she's strong, and her chakra has been slowing the loss of blood. But… it's running out… she has… at best maybe a day left…"

She shut her eyes as more tears began to well, and some of them fell down her cheeks, and onto the paperwork on Naruto's desk. He, on the other hand, kept his eyes wide, and his mouth hung open. In shock. In sadness. In fear.

In rage.

Sakura continued, and her voice finally broke.

"…All those years with Tsunade… and I still can't save her. No one can. Everything else… but her… lungs collapsed… We can't do a chakra transfer, none of us has a matching wavelength with her… not even… Shikamaru…"

Naruto's hands began to ball up into fists. He couldn't believe what he was hearing at all, and the entire situation began to tear at his psyche. The midnight assassination attempt. Siblings fighting siblings. Betrayals. Husbands in hospitals. Dying Wives.

All in the one place that none of this should be happening: Home. All within his village. All under his watch.

Naruto tried to turn away from Sakura, trying to avoid thinking about it any longer, but once his eyes left Sakura's, she slammed a fist into the desk, and broke it in two in front of her. Papers went flying, Naruto's computer went and crashed into the floor. Sakura stood up in front of him, her eyes still watering, and her voice still full of sorrow.

"Temari… doesn't deserve this. She doesn't _fucking _deserve this! We… we all know that! She loves this village as much as she loved hers! She's our friend, Naruto! For fuck's sake she _protected _this village! She… she was a key! Her relationship with… she… her ideals… her ideas! She _**helped **_us! She spent the last… she left her village because she wanted to _**help! **_She wanted to save… she… she has a _**Son, **_Naruto! He's…. he's seven! He… She has… Shikamaru's her _**husband, **_Naruto! What's going to happen to him? He's lost so much already… he's… we're…."

She loudly sucked in breath. By now her eyes were red, and her tears were falling like a waterfall. Naruto had left his chair, and was now standing. But that didn't matter. He didn't know what to do. Except look into Sakura's eyes, and try to listen.

And suddenly, Sakura's sorrow turned into ire, and she refocused on Naruto.

"… And **you. **You still want to try and save Gaara now, you fucking imbecile?! When he sneaked into our village, tried to kill his brother in law, and then _**killed his own sister!? His own flesh and blood!? **_Is that what you want to do!? You still want to waste time on that _**monster**_!? Do you!? When he _**made our friend a widower**_ and _**made his son motherless**_!? Well, Naruto!? Do you have an answer for that?! Do you!? Do you!? With all of the other shit he's put us through during the last ten years!? Do you want to still save him?! Do you-."

Sakura stopped her speech once she felt Sasuke's arms wrap around her from behind. And once she stopped, she immediately turned herself around to accept his hold once again, allowing herself to cry freely into Sasuke's chest.

"Shh… shh…" he whispered to her. "Shh, Sakura. It's not your fault… it's not _his _fault either. Please… Sakura… don't cry…"

Sasuke began to feel his own tears begin to flow from his eyes, as he spoke in agreement with his wife.

"…Temari didn't deserve this."

Naruto watched the couple for a few moments more, before taking a breath, and turning to look outside the window. The sun had finally set in the sky, and now the sky was a deep red. His mind processed everything that Sakura had told him, and it left him wordless and lost. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to think. He didn't even know what to expect.

_Shikamaru looked Naruto in his eyes, smiling._

"_You know, she's really troublesome. But what can I say? I love her. She's the wind that pushes my clouds."_

But the few things he did know slowly puttered out of his weak lips into the room that Team 7 now stood in. Slowly, these words made their way around the room, and into the very crevices of their minds, and their souls.

"…Heavens watch us," Naruto stated. But then he looked up out the window and into the red sky.

"But Heavens safeguard the Nara Clan. For Shikamaru Nara is about to plummet into Hell."

_AN: Thanks again for waiting, and thanks for reading up to this point! This story has a lot more to it! Remember to Review!_


	16. The Stag And The Doe

_AN: Alright. Time for everyone to hate me. But some of you might like the ending of this chapter. I dunno, I tried to get this out as fast as I could so that you guys wouldn't be kept waiting. But in case you couldn't tell from the last chapter, yeah, this chapter's going to be heavy. Get tissues. It's going to be okay._

_Also, I'm not going to spoil how I want this to end, but… yeah. I'm __**not**__ rewriting the Hidan Arc._

_**I do not own Naruto nor any of the characters in this fanfiction. **_

_Please remember to review. Even if you review more than once it really helps me know if I'm on the right track. Thank you very much, thanks for all of the feedback and reviews so far, and enjoy the chapter._

The first thing that Shikamaru Nara saw when he finally awoke from his slumber was a bright white light. Immediately thinking that he was still in the purgatory, he shot his hands up to his face, just to make sure that he still had them. They were both there, but unlike when he had been in the void, they were both bandaged. And unlike when he was in the void, he felt an even greater amount of pain when he moved them. He let out a short cry at this, weak and barely audible, and then grimaced as his vision improved as to reveal another person entering the view. As his vision slowly began to focus, his hands were grasped by a pair of soft hands, and then slowly placed at each of his sides. He didn't resist this.

"Shikamaru! Are you alright?! Here, take it easy! Calm down!"

Shikamaru's didn't struggle, and instead his eyes finished focusing on the blonde haired man standing in front of him, as he felt his arms detach from his own.

Naruto Uzumaki. Dressed in his Hokage uniform, minus his hat. Looking down on Shikamaru with an unusual look on his face.

Shikamaru took a breath. The rest of his vision began to return, and his emotions and his mind began to warm up as his senses slowly came to him. The room he was in was white and bare, and he was lying in a cot, his chest and arms wrapped up in a thick white bandage, stripped down to his pants. Beside him was a heart monitor machine, and he noticed that he had wires sticking into him in his arm, and with one at his neck, presumably to monitor his pulse. The machine was beeping at a steady pace, and he also assumed that this mean that he was fine. Looking around, he also quickly noticed that his room was rather small, nothing lined the walls, and there were only a few windows. Despite this, it was quite bright.

Finally, he could see his Hokage and close friend, Naruto Uzumaki, standing over him, and behind him a stool that he had presumably been sitting on. He surveyed his friend's face, and slowly noticed as Naruto's shocked expression soon faded into a neutral one, and then, after a moment more, into one of guilt.

Shikamaru blinked twice, and then finished gaining his bearings. Idly, he slowly remembered everything that had happened so far, from his assassination attempt, to Temari saving him, to seeing Asuma again. And now he was back on earth again, still alive.

The injured man squinted, and then idly flexed his joints. To his pleasure, they were all moveable. That was a good sign, at the very least. He watched as Naruto slowly moved to sit in a stool that was beside his bed, and at this his eyes narrowed. Naruto usually wasn't the one to greet him when he was in the hospital, he being the Hokage after all…

Shikamaru's throat felt like cardboard as he spoke.

"…Naruto?"

Naruto took a deep breath, and then leaned back. Noticing that Shikamaru was awake now, he allowed himself to lie.

"Shikamaru! You're awake! Well… that's great!" His words were unnecessarily loud.

The Nara Clan head felt a small headache begin to induce. Naruto's voice was being just a bit too expressive for his tastes. He was still trying to recover, after all.

He placed a hand onto his temple, and then slowly began to rub it. Naruto noticed this, and then placed a hand at the back of his head.

"Heh… sorry about that. Forgot you're still sort of recovering, you know?"

He let out an awkward chuckle, while Shikamaru continued to rub to try and soothe his new injury.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru then blinked, and his eyes scanned the room again.

"…How long was I… out? What happened?"

He needed to get right to the point. Whatever had happened on that day, he would have to sort out later. Naruto looked back towards Shikamaru, and then began to explain slowly.

"Well, Konoha's Police Force was given a call, and when the force got there, they saw that both you and Temari were out. Shikadai was there too, we dealt with him. He… should be at school now. You were both placed into the hospital, and since then… well we've just sort of been waiting for you to wake up to figure out a plan. The village is secure right now though, at the very least."

Shikamaru took a deep breath.

"Kankuro…? Gaara…?"

"Both missing. They haven't been seen in the village since the day of the attack."

Naruto took a breath.

"I guess they got away."

Shikamaru slowly clenched one of his fists, and then nodded. For the attack, he would have to get back at his brothers in law later. However…

"And you said that Shikadai was at school, right?"

"Yeah. You don't have to worry about him, he's safe."

Naruto answered that question too quickly. Shikamaru began to notice that his friend's face was slowly turning grim, and then ventured to ask one more question.

"And where's Temari?"

…_Here we go._

Naruto's eyes immediately left Shikamaru's. Shikamaru immediately noticed the movement, and he quickly began to feel sickly. Naruto turned his head away, and Shikamaru watched as his eyes narrowed, and became voluntarily distracted by the light of the window beside him. The sun was still rising in the sky, signifying the early morning time period, and therefore there was a slightly dull white that came in from the window.

Shikamaru continued to watch Naruto's sudden silence, before slowly, his eyes began to widen. Naruto kept his eyes on the outside world as he spoke the words that he knew would bring the death of his friend.

"…I'm sorry," he muttered. Naruto's voice felt like a heavy weight upon Shikamaru's psyche, and as he continued, it only got worse.

"…Gaara and Kankuro should've never been able to get as far into Konohagakure as they did. If I'd assigned better defences… they wouldn't have-."

"_**Where's Temari, Naruto?" **_

Naruto winced. His blue eyes slowly made their way back towards the body of the Nara Clan's Leader to notice that Shikamaru had propped himself up against the wall behind his bed. His eyes were attentive and frantic, his lips were shoved together, and his pose had quickly become tense. His hair still being up, Naruto could clearly see the few wrinkles that he had on his face tense up and appear more clearly now.

He took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes.

"… _**Temari's… dying, Shikamaru. Of… interior grievances. I'm… I'm sorry…"**_

…_**No.**_

For a few moments, neither of them found themselves able to do anything. Shikamaru's eyes slowly widened in horror, and his hand left his forehead, fully revealing the dismay on face. Naruto could see his friend's face lose its colour as well, as the acting Hokage slowly shook his head. His eyes slowly left Shikamaru's, as the other continued to linger for a moment longer, but before long-

Shikamaru spurred back to action. Immediately, he pushed himself up on the bed again and threw his legs over the side of his cot, cringing loudly once he felt the pain that resulted from his sudden movements. He bit his lips in pain, before Naruto moved in closer to try and comfort his friend.

"Shikamaru-."

"Where _**is **_she, Naruto?" He snapped harshly. Naruto looked into Shikamaru's eyes again to see that they were less horrified than before, and instead in a mixed state of panic and anger. When Naruto didn't answer him immediately, Shikamaru continued to push himself forwards, until both of his feet were standing on the ground.

Due to his condition, he wouldn't stay standing up like that for very long. He quickly fell over, and found himself having to lean against the wall for balance. Naruto turned himself over to Shikamaru, who continued to lean on the wall as his friend began to try and take steps forwards. With every step, he could see Shikamaru flinch in pain, and after a while he began to moan lightly after each stride.

He was heading towards the door.

Naruto stood up to stand in front of him, and when Shikamaru continued to try and push past him, the Hokage placed both of his hands on each of his shoulders.

"Where _**IS **_she, Naruto?!" He repeated. His voice was still groggy and weak from his injuries, but even the Hero of Konoha could hear the discord in it.

"Shikamaru, you still got to rest-."

"Where _is _she, Naruto?!"

"You're hurting yourself-."

"_I don't care. _Where's Temari?!"

"Do you think she'd want you to-."

"_I don't care I need to se-."_

Shikamaru finally lost his balance and found himself nearly falling to the floor, only avoiding the ground thanks to Naruto's quick motions. Holding his friend by his shoulders, Shikamaru slowly found his footing again, before falling back onto his rear, and onto the cold hospital floor beneath him.

The man still standing watched in awe as the saw Shikamaru continue his effort to stand. The Nara Clan head found the bed sheet that he had once been wrapped in, and gripped it tightly, before fiddling his feet until they found their stability once again. The man slowly used the bed to pull himself back up, and after a few trips ands and temporary loses of power, he found himself standing up straight in front of Naruto once again.

The blonde found difficulty looking at Shikamaru once again, and began to regret that he even gave the man the news in the first place. But before he could think any further, Shikamaru's' voice returned to the room.

"Naruto-."

"The room across the hall from us," he muttered, finally giving up. "…Just… be careful, Shikamaru."

Naruto took a step out of his way, and watched as Shikamaru began to walk past him making sure that he stuck to the walls so that he wouldn't fall again. After a moment or two of watching his friend struggle, Naruto moved to slug him over his shoulder, and began to carry him out of the room, being careful to balance him and make sure that he would not fall. Hollow steps soon became the only sound in the room, before they left it.

Once in the hallway, Naruto turned to look at Shikamaru, and then noticed as the hand that he once had slugged around him left his back, and Shikamaru stood on his own again. With a silent determination, his friend had opened the door in front of him, the door leading to the room that Temari had been in, and closed it behind him, leaving Naruto in the hallway by himself.

Naruto's painful frown remained. After spending a few moments watching the door, he took a deep breath, and sat himself on the bench in between the two rooms. Placing his head into his hands, he allowed himself to slouch forwards and lose composure, for the first time in a long while, and then let himself take a deep breath. Not a breath of relief, but instead a breath to prepare himself to what would happen next.

Whatever that might be.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru had hoped that Naruto had lied to him. He had begged that for once, Naruto had said something that didn't turn out to be true. It had happened in the past. All that he had needed to happen was for it to happen again. Just to happen one more time, just for old time's sake. Just so when he entered this room, he wouldn't be entering his wife's deathbed. So when he had entered this room, he wouldn't have to have learned what it was to stare at a death that wasn't aimed towards you. Just so when he entered this room, Shikamaru wouldn't have to feel what it felt to lose someone you loved yet _again. _

But, as the fates would have it, Naruto didn't seem to be lying.

The room he had entered was much dimmer than the one he had woken up in, by a large margin. It was about the same size as his room, however. The windows that had been clear in his room were covered now by blinds. Half of the lights in the room were off, and the ones that weren't stood directly over Shikamaru's head. Oddly, the room was perfectly clean, despite the faint, yet potent smell of dried blood coming from…

The cot beside the room's back wall.

Shikamaru looked towards it, and felt a dagger stab his heart once he confirmed that it was indeed Temari beneath those sheets.

Even from where he stood at the door, he could still see her blonde hair. Her lightly tanned skin.

He slowly began to grip his fists, before he slowly began to walk closer to her cot. His heavy steps were the only thing heard in the entire room, other than the light beeps from a monitor machine. There was a chair next to her bed already, and thus he was able to sit himself down in it once he was close enough. And once he was sitting he was also graced with being able to see another thing, this time more clearly.

Her.

She looked so peaceful, Shikamaru lamented. Her hands were at her sides, both being bandaged up just like his were. Her hair was still up in in its four ponytails, her face clean and clear, save for the scar on her chin and the other on her neck. Her normally deep green eyes were closed, and her lips were pressed together to show that they were closed as well. She was wearing some hospital scrubs, but Shikamaru could see that underneath them the entirety of her chest was covered in bandages.

He continued to look at her in disbelief as he began to slowly pick up the beeping of the heart monitor. It was much slower than his had been, and her breathing sounded off, sounded wrong. He slowly lifted one of his bandaged hands to check her pulse, touching her neck softly, and closed his eyes in shame as he noted that it was at the same rate her heart monitor was at, slow and irregular. He shut his eyes in pain, lowering his head-

Before suddenly hearing a rustling from in front of him, and then feeing a cold sense touch the hand he had on her neck.

His eyes snapped open, and his head slowly raised to see…

Temari's deep green eyes open, and stare into his.

He flinched, but so did she. The silence between them continued, as the both of them struggled to come up with anything to say to the other. But at the same time, both feared that words wouldn't do any good, or only make matters worse. There was no denial of what was happening, not between either of them. Temari's heart monitor, Naruto's words, both of their appearances were more than a million verses. She was dying, he was going to live.

They were soon going to be apart.

Shikamaru gripped one of his fists at the revelation, and then slowly removed his hand from her neck. Temari weakly took in a breath, and her hand followed his until it was resting on her chest. Through the bandages, they could both still feel each other. Her cold. His warmth. His life. Her death.

Shikamaru continued to look into her face, while she did the same to him. Both of their faces adding more words to the story, without even a parted lip. It… hurt to look into each other's eyes. It hurt to glance at each other's faces. Shikamaru's broken stare. Temari's saddened gaze.

Shikamaru's eyes soon broke from Temari's. He heard Temari take in another breath, this one more ragged than the other, and soon, he heard her voice for the first time in a long while.

"…I left…" she began. Shikamaru shook his head from his position on his chair. She sounded so weak, so pathetic. This wasn't like her at all. After a moment more, he heard her give out a weak cough, and she tried again.

"…I left… pre-prepared at least two lunches for you and Shikadai to eat. Just… for now. They're… they're pretty easy to make… and I left instructions on how to make most of my other meals attached to the fridge. You should be able to make them… they're really not all that hard…"

_…For fuck's sake. _

This was just like her. Giving him more directions, giving him pointers. Making sure that such… frivolous things were taken care of. Thinking of only completing the mission, no matter what casualties that were sustained along the way. No matter what would happen to her. No matter what _was _happening to her.

It was almost like, she didn't care that she was dying. As if to her… it didn't matter. Not at all.

He began to shake in his position, and idly rubbed Temari's hand, rubbing her chest at the same time. At the very least, he wanted her to feel comfortable. He had so much to say to her, but found himself unsure of exactly how to say it. How would you even begin? What would you even say? How would you even say it?

Temari's voice entered the fray once more, while Shikamaru silently brooded in his position.

"…Oh… and… also. Make sure that Shikadai goes to school. Sometimes he'll try to skip out on it… but… genius or not… he needs to pass the academy. He's not… exactly lazy. I think… he's just demotivated. But if he ever _gets _motivated… he'll be a great ninja. Maybe he'll even… make it to Jonin… like we did. Maybe he'll… become something greater than that…"

_Temari… just…_

Shikamaru nodded weakly, and Temari continued.

"…Remember the enemy's weak points too. Admittedly… Sunagakure doesn't… never did have a lot… of good close range fighters. It's the… way of the wind… I suppose. It's… defences… from what I can remember defences were down… are down… more when it's raining or when there's a sandstorm… but you don't want to attack during a… sandstorm…"

He voice trailed off for the third time. By now, Shikamaru was shaking uncomfortably, and this shaking was also trailing to the one hand that he had on her. He couldn't believe this, not at all. If it wasn't happening in front of him, he would simply think that it was Genjutsu. A joke. Some cruel, unfair joke.

But no, it wasn't. Temari was dying. His _wife _was dying.

For fuck's sake, how were they supposed to fulfill their dream _**now?**_

__"…And please remember to take care of the plants… the ones in our backyard? I wo-."

"Why didn't you listen to me?"

Temari's eyes widened softly, and then she slowly turned her head towards Shikamaru, to see that her husband had his head looking towards the ground. His eyes were narrowed, and she could see traces of his face were turning into a reddish colour. She would speak again.

"…It doesn't mat-."

"Why didn't you?"

"…Please just remember to water the cacti-."

"_**Temari of the Tornado why didn't you fucking listen to me?!"**_

__Shikamaru's voice had projected clearly throughout the room, a stark contrast to Temari's weak whispers. His eyes were looking directly at hers now, and she could see that his face was a deep red now. The hand that was resting on her chest was now gripping hers, and the volume of his speech as he continued almost hid the sound of his heart breaking. _Almost._

"For once in your life… for once in my life… for once in _your_ life… why didn't you listen!? I told you that you needed to run! You needed to get out of there! You didn't need to get involved and I did my best to make sure that you _**didn't **_get involved! I… I was the one who was… every single time… you never listen. You didn't listen to me during the _**fire. **_You didn't listen to me when the village was attacked. You didn't listen to me during the kidnapping. Why. Why did you… never… _**freaking…**_ listen…?'

Shikamaru's voice faded away, and he used his other hand to cover his face. Temari's eyes shut, and she could almost feel her lover sobbing, through the hand that was still on her. The room became silent once again, except for the beeping of her monitor, as the both of them once again became lost in their thoughts.

Temari nearly shed tears then, but she couldn't let herself. At the very least now, she needed to stay strong, at least for Shikamaru's sake, despite her feeling personally. She didn't want to die, no one really did. If she had any power over the world, she would re-write everything. She would be successful in stopping her brothers from starting the war. She would have been successful in speaking to her brothers the nights before, she would have drew them away. Somehow, the war wouldn't have started. Somehow, it would be like both she and Shikamaru had wanted it. Just him and her. With their child, Shikadai. Together. Growing old, raising their son into a fine shinobi, playing and talking with friends, laughing and bonding. Spending the days working. The evenings playing shogi. The nights making love.

But of course, that was impossible. That was a dream. This was a reality.

She took a deep breathe, and then slowly gripped Shikamaru's hand. Shikamaru slowly removed his other hand from his face, and Temari gave him a stern, yet loving look.

"… If I had listened to you… you would have been long dead by now. And the moment I married you, the moment I ran away with you, I knew that I couldn't let you die…"

Shikamaru grit his teeth.

"…Why?"

Temari took in a shaky breath, and then weakly smiled.

"Because I love you."

Shikamaru could almost feel himself split in two.

He bit back a loud sob, and returned his head to its position behind his hand. Tears were beginning to slowly stream down his face now, his emotions beginning to break through, and upon seeing his tears, Temari began to weakly rub his hand with both of hers. Upon feeling the gesture, Shikamaru slowly inched in closer to her, leaning over her to hug her from his position on the chair. Temari took in a quick breath at the intrusion of her space, but after a moment she didn't mind it at all. She moved her arms to wrap around him, and pulled him in closer, until his head was on her neck. He did the same, and then took a deep breath in, holding back his tears for a moment.

"…I love you too. You… you know I do…"

She patted his back lightly. As their meeting went on, she could feel herself getting weaker and weaker, to the point where she was now struggling to even hold him as he was holding her. But despite her newfound weakness, she would continue to hold onto him. If this was the last act she would do, then it was fine with her.

For moments longer, the outside world was irrelevant to the both of them. All that mattered was each other. Shikamaru's attempts to spread his warmth onto her. Temari's attempts to stay awake. And that's how it stayed, until finally Shikamaru heard a loud beep from the heart monitor machine beside them, and his eyes moved to monitor it.

And with horror, he instantly noted that her heartbeat was getting slower.

He reluctantly broke their hug, but before he did he left a quick, desperate kiss on her cheek. She found herself slightly blushing at that and they both moved so that they were holding each of each other's hands on her chest. A moment passed once more, and Shikamaru shook his head sadly, all while giving her a hopeful, neutral look.

"…What do we do now…?" He murmured. Temari shivered, and then retained her sad smile.

"…I don't know… all I know is… I want you to… this is unfair for you… I'm dying and… I'm still giving you so much to do-."

"I'll do it. I'll… I'll handle it. Just… let me know what it is. I'll do it…"

Temari sucked in a breath, and her eyes softened on Shikamaru.

"…Could… could you… do you really want to-."

"I failed to protect you, and that's why you're…fading now. At the very least… let me carry out your will."

"You didn't fail-."

"_Please, _Temari."

Temari felt a sudden jolt to her chest, and then the heart monitor beside her made a loud noise. Shikamaru looked at it, and then back at her. Another heart-rate drop. It wouldn't be long now.

She was almost gone.

She knew this as well, and so finally spoke up again, beginning to rub his hands.

"… Don't give up, Shikamaru. Don't give up on our dream."

Shikamaru's eyes slowly began to widen. _Their Dream…_

_ She had that dream too… I remember._

Their dream of uniting their villages. Their dream of protecting both of their homelands, but also making other homelands better. Their dream of carving a new ninja world, through diplomacy and peace instead of fighting and war. Their dream of making everything better, just one step at a time. Their dream… their shared wish. His Will of Fire, extended to protect her village, and other villages as well. Her love for her village, extended to his village, and to others. Their dream…

It seemed so unmanageable now.

His tears became less frequent, and he gripped her hands. She continued at this gesture.

"… Your Will of Fire… My love for my village… my Drive of the Wind… please… if you can even just carry it out a little bit… I'll be able to rest easily…"

Shikamaru took a deep breath, almost as if he was sucking in the encumbrance that she had given to him, and nodded strongly, his hands rubbing and gripping hers. He didn't need to think about it at all. It was _theirs._

"I'll do it..." he said. "…I give you my word. This… I'll end this war… I'll finish it… and both of our villages will be safe. They'll be… great. They'll be _better."_

Temari sucked in another breath, and another loud beep went to the heart monitor. Her pulse had lowered again.

"…Please remember…Shikamaru," she said. By now, her voice was barely audible, and he could feel her shake. "Part… part of our dream was that… we'd both we safe… I can't... I won't be but… take care of yourself, Shika…"

Shikamaru could feel his tears return to him, and he nodded, narrowing his eyes in pain. He gripped her hands tighter, as if he could possibly keep her in this world if he just gripped tight enough. If he just held onto her enough. If he just silently begged enough. If he cried enough.

But even through his barely controlled sobs, he knew that whatever he did was fruitless. That no matter what, Temari Nara would die today.

And when the heart monitor beeped once again, he knew that she would not last another hour in this world.

Let alone ten minutes.

_Beep._

Perhaps not even a minute.

He looked back into her eyes, to see that they were barely open. Temari was nearly gone, one of her legs already in her grave, and the other one off the ground in the world of the living. And yet, she still retained a hopeful look, trying to make it seem like this wasn't also affecting her.

And yet it was. Temari was scared.

When she died, she wouldn't be able to be there when Shikadai grew up. She wouldn't be able to see Sunagakure ever again. She wouldn't be able to meet up with her girlfriends and relax anymore. She wouldn't be able to advise the Hokage occasionally on the war. She wouldn't be able to see how the war ended. She wouldn't be able to see her brothers again, she wouldn't be able to try and make amends with them.

But worst of all, she wouldn't be able to be a part of Shikamaru's life anymore.

She wouldn't be able to wake up beside him after a good night's sleep, and tease him before they both got up to go to their respective duties. She wouldn't be able to see him after he returned from work, and perhaps walk the boundaries of the Nara forest together, inspecting the deer and allowing themselves to get lost together. They'd never play Shogi again, she'd never beat him in that infernal game. She wouldn't be able to make love to him. She wouldn't be able to kiss him ever again. She wouldn't be able to curl up to him late at night, and allow him to whisper sweet words into her ear, and make her know that it would be alright.

She wouldn't be able to love him. Today, this minute, these moments, were the last that she had to be with him.

And for him, it was the same.

Asuma. Shikaku. Yoshino. Temari. Now her name was etched into the list of names, the list of people, which he had lost. The list of people that he needed, but now were leaving him. Asuma, Temari. The list of people that needed him, but he had been too weak to help them. Shikaku, Yoshino, Temari. The list of people who were now depending on him, and he had to make sure he didn't let down. Temari, Shikaku. The list of people he had loved, whom he had lost to wars.

_Bloody wars._

And he knew on the inside that it was most likely that that list was only going to grow. For he had chosen the life of a shinobi, and such loss was typical of such an existence.

And it was likely that the cause of more of his loss were going to be his own brothers-in-law. They had already taken Temari away from him.

Their. Own. Sister.

A multitude of emotions were taking over Shikamaru's recovering body. Ire. For the fact that Temari was being taken away from him as a consequence of his weakness and her brother's actions. Sorrow. For the fact that his wife, partner, lover, mate, and the mother of his child was being taken away from him, and he could do nothing to stop it. Terror, for he knew that she was not going to be the last one to leave him. There were many more people that the war, that _her _brothers, could take away from him. If they could take Temari, they could take Choji. If they could take Temari, they could take Ino. If they could take Temari, they could take Mirai.

_If they could take Temari, they could take Shikadai. __**His own son.**_

He gripped her hands tightly, and the tears that streamed freely down his cheeks continued their assault. He couldn't handle it. He couldn't understand it. He was already lifeless now that Temari was leaving, but if Shikadai was ever taken away from him... there'd be nought left of him.

But he was already lifeless.

He finally snapped.

"…Temari… please… don't…"

He would plead, but there was no point in it.

"Temari please… for… there has to be some way…"

The heart monitor beeped again. He knew there was nothing he could do.

"Temari for…"

He could see the colour fading from her face, and the action of her rubbing his hand became slower and slower as she lost what strength she had left.

"Temari you can't… for fuck's sake… I can't be…"

He had been through too much.

"I can't… why are… why are you taking _**her**_?"

He had lost too much already.

"I… Tem… what did I do to… deserve this…?"

_"If you go back to Sunagakure again, I don't know what I'll do with my life at __**all."**_

__"This… I…"

_"I'll probably participate in the war, do my duty, blah blah blah, until I find out that you're __**dead**__."_

Shikamaru was crying fully now, and he didn't care.

_"And then what's going to happen?"_

Temari was leaving, and there was nothing that he could do about it.

_"I'm going to sputter around, feel sorry for myself, and maybe cry like a baby, like I did for everyone else in my life who's died so far."_

Another beep.

_"And with your death, it's going to be even __**worse**__,"_

He gripped her hands so tightly, that his nearly turned pure white.

"Temari…"

_"Because you're more __**special **__to me than anyone who's ever died yet."_

Finally, she gripped his hand back.

_"I get it."_

"Shikamaru…"

_"You know, nothing that either of us can do is going to make this any easier."_

"Shikamaru… it's ok. It's going to be ok, Shikamaru."

Her stony façade was slowly crumbling, and he looked towards her to see that she was now crying too. Another beep. Another heart-rate drop. Another moment closer to death.

"…Shikamaru… everything's going to… everything's going to turn out just fine…"

Shikamaru took a deep breath to try and stop his crying, and Temari gave out a weak, light chuckle.

"…My my my. It's been… how many years… and you're still a crybaby."

Shikamaru shuddered, and Temari began to use whatever was left of her strength to raise one of her hands to Shikamaru's cheek. With her cold fingers, she caressed him, trying to make him feel better, wiping some of his tears away. Trying to comfort him. Trying to make this less terrifying for the both of them.

"…You're going to be fine…Shikamaru. Everything's going to turn out alright for you… Just. Make sure that… you take care of… yourself… And our son… Shikadai. This… it's going to be hard… being a single… lonely father… but… please…"

"I… I will just… I'm going to miss… I'm going to-."

"…Please… please try to…"

_"You... haven't figured it out yet?"_

Sudden, Temari gave out a loud, hacking cough. Shikamaru cringed in horror as he saw that there were droplets of blood now on her face, and quickly moved a hand to wipe them off.

It was over now.

"…Shikamaru… don't… don't waste too much… time on me. I'm… I'm gone… but… Shikadai… everyone else here… they're still… here for you…"

There was a pause, and Shikamaru gripped her hands tighter. She weakly continued.

"…I'll be… up there… in heaven. I'll… save a spot for you… when you're… when it's your time too…"

_"... You're really going to come with me?"_

Another pause.

"…But I'll be watching. And… I'll still be here with you… in a way."

_"... Yes."_

Another beep. She gasped suddenly. Shikamaru felt an agony in his heart.

"…And… do what you must… do what you must… to save our villages. I… you know I love… the both of them. It's… it's your, no… _our _Will of Fire… right…?"

Shikamaru's tears were beginning to dry, but they were also still falling down his cheeks. Temari looked at him with weak eyes, and then tried to brighten her smile, trying to push her positive, hopeful emotions onto him as well.

"…Can I get… one last kiss?" She whispered. By now her words were nearly unintelligible.

_"Don't worry Tem. It's going to be worth it. You'll see."_

Shikamaru took a breath, and then leaned over her, some of his tears falling onto her face.

_"And… that's why you shouldn't worry about me dying, Temari. Especially now, I have to stick around to make sure that the King is protected. And my Queen piece, of course."_

And their lips connected, for the last time. One last burst of passion between the both of them. One last show of love.

His fire tried to reach her for the last time…

"…I love you…Shikamaru. Don't… give up... on our dream. Please… look after… our child. Tell Shikadai that I love him. But remember… to protect yourself… as well…"

But she was the wind.

And finally, when Shikamaru backed away from her, her deep green eyes finally closed, her hands stopped moving, and her body slacked away. And the smile that she wore on her face for him faded away.

Shikamaru stood on the chair that he had sat in, and finally the heart monitor hit a flat line. His eyes left hers, and words slowly appeared on the screen.

_Date: October 25__th_

_ Time: 07:38_

_ Status of Patient: Deceased._

_ Deceased._

Dead.

Temari Nara, eldest child and only daughter of the Hidden Sand Village's 4th Kazekage, eldest and only sister of the legendary Sand Siblings, former Kazekage candidate, greatest wind user in the Land of Wind, matriarch of the Nara Clan, and wife to Shikamaru Nara, the Stag of Konohagakure…

Was dead.

Temari was dead.

Temari was _**gone**_, and she wasn't coming back.

After twenty-five years of them knowing of each other, seventeen years of being together, ten years of marriage, and seven years of parenthood, she was out of his life.

And once that statistic finally resonated within Shikamaru's head, he felt a feeling that should have been familiar to him, but found itself being different this time around…

The feeling of loss.

But now… it was mixed with anger. It was mixed with a hatred. It was mixed with sorrow. It was mixed with embarrassment, with pain and with regret…

But it was also mixed with a feeling of Unknowing. Because now…

Shikamaru didn't know what to do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fifteen minutes later, Shikamaru Nara finally left the room in which his wife passed from the world.

His steps were heavy, and his eyes were soulless. Whatever tears that were on his face, he had been sure to rub out, so that no one now could see them. He saw Naruto sitting on the bench, his eyes were still downcast, and the look on his face was still sorrowful.

But he couldn't bear to talk right now, not to him. Even if he had given him the privilege of being with his wife when she died.

Instead, he would walk away from his Hokage, and instead up the hall towards the hospital's exit. In truth, he didn't know exactly where he was going, nor where he even wanted to go. All he knew was that he wanted to leave this place.

Footsteps heavy. Breathing ragged, and tense. His face blank, and emotionless. Medical nin rushed through the hallway and passed him, some of them giving him their apologies. They were likely heading for Temari's room. He didn't care.

He continued to walk, until he was about to round the corner. Before he could, another person came around it, but unlike the medical nin, Shikamaru noticed him.

He noticed this person because this person, no, child, was his son. Shikadai. The last thing that he had of Temari in this world.

Shikadai walked, until he looked up and saw his father. The very same green eyes that Shikamaru thought he'd never see again were now staring up at him in shock and awe. They stayed that way, until the boy registered that he was staring up at his father, and rushed into his father's torso for a hug. A hug of relief. His Hokage hadn't lied to him at all. His father was fine, walking, okay, and still breathing.

Shikamaru's face retained it's blank features, before they sorrowed instantly. Because he had a son now, but that son had no mother. Meaning that…

"Dad. You're alright!"

Shikamaru hugged into the hug, and then patted Shikadai on the back when the boy pulled away. He noticed the knapsack on his back, and then tried his best to give his son a smile, to comfort him, despite the circumstances.

"Shikadai. Isn't… aren't you supposed to be at school?"

His son looked up at him, and shrugged.

"Yeah! But I was just… checking on you! I didn't think that you were going to be up so fast though! Sak- I mean Mrs. Uchiha did say that you were going to be out for a while, but I guess you're stronger than that."

He could see the excitement in his son's eyes, and wanted to stab himself in the gut for what he knew that he had to do…

"So, if you're fine… then what about Mom? Is she up too?"

It was time.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, and then calmed himself. _No man should have to do this to his own __**fucking**__ son…._

But he had to. If he didn't do it, then Shikadai would only resent him later when he found out.

The Head of the Nara Clan slowly kneeled so that he was the same height as Shikadai, and softened his features. Shikadai's young eyes widened in confusion, before his father began to speak, his own voice shaking with a multitude of emotions.

"…Shikadai… your mother's…"

Shikamaru's voice trailed off. Instead, the expression on his face was enough to give Shikamaru an account of his mother's face. The look of a million negative emotions. The expression of loss.

And suddenly, Shikadai understood exactly why those medical nin had rushed past him, and whatever excitement he had had this morning faded away into an emotion that no boy should have had to feel…

"…No…"

His nightmare had come true.

"…Yes, son…" his father answered through gritted teeth.

"She's…"

He couldn't bring himself to say it. But he didn't need to.

"…No…"

Shikadai's face soon turned to panic, and his eyes immediately looked past his father, and instead at the room where he had been told his mother was in.

"…Mom… no… no you're lying. You… you…"

"I wouldn't lie to you…"

Shikadai moved past his father, dropping his knapsack with him, and began to rush towards the room that Shikamaru had just left. His emotions were even more obvious than his father's.

"Mom? Mom!?"

He tried to get in, but Shikamaru turned his head to see that a medical nin was blocking his way. After a few moments, his son was left banging on the door outside, trying to get in.

"Mom!? Mom!? Please let me in! My Mom's in there! Please! Mom?! Let me see my Mom! I need to see my mom!"

Shikamaru could almost feel his tears begin again. Naruto didn't raise his head, and instead took in the chaos that was unravelling in front of him, accepting the realities of the war they were fighting. Accepting the truths of the world they lived in.

"Mom! You can't just leave me and Dad alone! Mom! Mom!"

Shikadai eventually stopped his banging, knowing that it was fruitless, futile, and instead stood in front of the door, for once in his life allowing his emotions to shine true, his tears coming quickly.

"I… please I never got to say goodbye! I never got to do… so much with her! She never got to see my graduate! I never got to… Mom why… why won't you… _**Mom…Mom!**_ Just let me see my Mom! _**Please**_!"

On October 24th, in the 10th year of the Konoha-Sunagakure Conflict, Gaara of the Sand Waterfall, The Kazekage of Sunagakure, and Kankuro of the Black Sands, his brother, attempted to assassinate Shikamaru Nara, also known by the moniker of the Great Stag of Konohagakure. Nearly succeeding, they were foiled by their own sister, Temari Nara of the Tornado, who fought them off, herself receiving and sustaining fatal injuries from the attack. Both Shikamaru and Temari Nara were brought to Konohagakure's main hospital, and by the morning Sakura Uchiha was able to confirm that Shikamaru would survive. In the evening, she confirmed that Temari would not. And finally, the day after, October 25th in the 10th Year of the Konoha-Sunagakure Conflict, Temari Nara died of internal bleeding at exactly 07:38 hours. Murdered by her own brothers. Intention unknown.

That is what the records would show of what would be come to known as the "incident". But to everyone involved, it was a much simpler narrative. Gaara and Kankuro tried to kill Shikamaru. Temari protected him. A day later, Shikamaru lost his wife, Shikadai lost his mother…

And now, because of this, a motherless boy was crying in front of a hospital room, and his father was frozen in place, away from him.

All while the 7th Hokage observed, and began to question his world, his war, and worst of all…

Himself.

_Thanks for reading as always!_


	17. Consequence

_AN: Special mini-chapter! I decided to upload it on the same day as the last one, since the last one was really sad. Alright, let's do this!_

_I sort of wish I knew more about Japanese mythology, because this came out a bit too western. Either way… let's start._

_**I do not own any of the character, nor do I own Naruto.**_

__The Hidden Sand Jonin opened his eyes slowly. When he did, he was expecting to see fire. He was expecting to see brimstone. He was expecting to maybe even see a demon or two, welcoming him to the Underworld. That's where people like him went, anyways. There was no grace of Bliss for shinobi, or so he believed. They were murderers. They were thieves. They literally made a living off of committing, what most would call, acts of evil. Perdition was a given for them.

But instead of Hell, when Kankuro of the Black Sand opened his eyes, he saw grey. Lots and lots of grey.

Utterly confused, he man made movements to sit up against whatever he was leaning against. It was a wall, he quickly learned, and above him was a small, barred window. His eyes looked forwards to see a series of bars, and through these bars was a small area that was closed off by a large, steel door. The area he was in was well lit, with white lights shining from above.

He continued to look at his surroundings for a few moments, until instantly figuring it all out.

"… _**Fuckin' shit**_!"

He hadn't died that day, then, it seemed. Whatever the hell had happened to him, he didn't die. Judging by what he had seen, he had been captured. Healed back up to living, and captured.

To be interrogated. By the Hidden Leaf Village.

He instantly tried to move forwards, only to notice that he couldn't even stand up. Looking down, he saw that his right leg, his lost leg, had been cleanly amputated, leaving a stump that ended just above where his knee should have been. His other leg was fine, but it was chained to the floor. He tried to move his arms, only to find that they were chained to the wall as well. He looked down on himself, seeing his black outfit gone, rubbed his face to find that his paint had been washed off, and rubbed his head to see that his buzz-cut was, thankfully, still there.

He took a deep breath. His puppets and his scrolls were likely confiscated as well. He had given his hood to Gaara-

Gaara. He… he should have been able to leave the village safely. At the very least Gaara was safe.

But if he was here, then there was a high chance that he would never see Shiori or Okuni again…

The man sighed deeply, and then leaned back against the wall. But now that he was here, there was no real chance of him escaping. He was missing a leg, and he had nothing to replace it. Even if he could figure out a way to escape, there was no way that he'd be able to leave his cell quick enough without becoming caught. Without his leg, as a Ninja, he was completely useless.

As he thought of this, he idly reached out an arm to grasp and soothe the stump where his leg used to be. It didn't hurt much, but it still stung. If he ever returned to Sunagakure, he would have to get some sort of replacement for his leg. It shouldn't be too hard. Both Sasori and Chiyo had prosthetic limbs. Kankuro would just be another in the long line of Puppet master Amputees, it seemed.

Now, all he had to do was survive the interrogation.

He had heard stories of the Hidden Leaf Village's Torture and Interrogation force. Not quite as ruthless and harsh as his own village's, but still a force to be reckoned with. Headed by Ibiki Morino-

_"Was your doll playing beneficial? Just sit down."_

Kankuro let out a smirk. That bastard had been his Chuunin Exam Proctor, once. Idly, he wondered if he'd remember him, despite all of the years that had passed. Then, he quickly chided himself. Even if he did remember him, it would probably only make things worse-.

Suddenly, he heard a door open loudly, and then lifted his head from his thoughts to see-.

"Wakey-Wakey!"

Kankuro lifted a hand in front of his eyes to block the sudden burst of light that came into the room, and then slowly removed his arm once he was done. He looked up at the door to see…

Ino Yamanaka.

Her presence here confused him. For the most part, he hadn't heard anything about her throughout the entire war. Except for the time he nearly killed Shikamaru, he hadn't even seen her.

But she was here now, dressed in a long, open, black overcoat, a dark grey vest, with her forehead protector around her head as a headband. Her long blonde hair was still in her usual ponytail, but it was a bit longer now. She still had a bang that went over her right eye, and there were now a few, small scars around her visible left eye. On her belt, there were a lot of kunai, and also what seemed to be a recorder of some sort. And, oddly, lifted high and proud in her right hand was a cup of tea. She took a few steps forwards, shut the door behind her, and then took a deep draw out of the cup.

Seeing her actions, and seeing her presence here, Kankuro took a gulp of courage, and then messed up his face into a sneer.

"That drink for me?" He snickered. "Thanks for bearing me in mind. Had a rough night."

At this, he could see Ino roll her eyes, then narrow them at the man who stood in front of her.

"Pfft. I'm sure you did. You know, you and your brother made a big mess yesterday. We _should _have you clean it up. But, I think this way of payback's much better."

She took another sip out of her cup, and then took a deep breath. Kankuro studied her face. While it was stony and unimpressed, he could tell that _something _was bothering her…

And then he grinned even wider. _Looks like Shikamaru really did die-_

_"Just… just get out of here, Kankuro. You too, Gaara. You… you know as well as I that me being here doesn't change shit. You're still going to try and kill him."_

Kankuro growled at the memory, and then spat on to the ground beside him. The revelation of Temari's betrayal was still fresh in his mind, and even now he still didn't know exactly how he felt about it. Was it truly her idea, or had Shikamaru been manipulating her, filling her mind with bullshit and lies, so that she ended up believing him? And how much of this war, how many of Konoha's victories were because of her? How many Sand Ninja died, indirectly or not, by her hand?

His thoughts were interrupted by Ino speaking again. Loud and clear. In charge, as usual.

"You should be able to figure out the deal. Basically, we're going to interrogate you until we get what we need out of you. Then, either we alert the Kazekage to the fact that we have you, or we let you go, or maybe we even _kill _you. We're not sure yet. We haven't started yet."

Kankuro narrowed his eyes.

"You think you can make me talk? That's funny. You mind passing me over what you've been drinking? Must be some strong liquor."

Ino shrugged.

"We don't need to make you talk to find out what's on your mind, you know."

"Oh yeah? How're you going to learn what's on my mind then?"

This time, it was Ino's turn to smile.

"…You _do _remember my Clan's techniques, right? Do you remember what we can do?"

For a moment, Kankuro kept the grin that was on his face large and powerful, while he thought back to all of the times he had fought other Yamanakas during the war, as well as their abilities during the previous one. Mind transfer Jutsu, Mind Clone Switch Jutsu, Mind Body Switch Jutsu, Mind Disturbance Jutsu-

And then it hit him, and Kankuro flinched, his grin quickly fading. Ino smirked at this, took another sip from her cup, and then continued.

"We don't need you to say _anything, _Kankuro," she taunted. Outside of his cell, she began to pace back and forth.

"Because we can just enter your mind and figure out what you _would _say. Take a journey in it. Make notes. And the best part is, that you can't _stop _us from doing that. Or rather _me. _Since you have the privilege of getting the _Head_ of the Torture and Interrogation Force as your head inquisitor. You're pretty lucky."

She paused her pacing, and then gave the man a cruel giggle. From the inside of his cell, Kankuro began to feel mildly annoyed. He didn't like it when people underestimated him at all. There had to be _some _way to get back at her, despite her position of pow-.

_"…Truth? You… you want the truth?" _

Kankuro gave off a sickly grin. He usually didn't do this, but…

"I guess Nara was pretty lucky yesterday too, eh Ino? When I made Crow shove its spike deep into his chest, and then made him bleed out on the back porch of his own home. Most people don't get the luxury of dying at home."

And with those words, something snapped within Ino. From his position inside the cell, he could see her gaze darken, and then watched as she gripped the cup in her hand tighter. Then, she slowly turned herself completely towards him, and then narrowed her eyes at him.

"… Oh right… that's what you _think _happened that day…"

Kankuro raised a brow.

"What I _think_? Naa, that's what _happened_, girlie."

Ino shook her head.

"No… not at all… you… you… freaking… kinslaying-."

"Kinslaying? Like a kin-slayer? What the hell are you going on ab-."

"You didn't kill Shikamaru on that day, Kankuro."

Kankuro hardened his eyes at that.

"…Then who did I end up killing…?"

Ino's eyes darkened, and she turned her eyes away from him, and took the last sip from her cup, before it emptied. Then, she took a deep breath in, and then exhaled.

"…Temari. You killed _Temari."_

At first, he scoffed at this idea. He hadn't attacked Temari that badly, both, no, all three of them were clearly holding back from really injuring each other. They had all maintained their distance. She hadn't been attacked enough for her to-.

_Temari rose into the sky, being lifted up by a pillar of sand._

Kankuro's face slowly widened with horror. If Gaara had done that, then-.

"…Lying," he muttered, in utter disbelief. "You're _lying_."

Ino shook her head, and her angry scowl focused more on him as she continued slowly.

"She died in the hospital this morning from internal wounds. You, or Gaara, or _both… of you two… _killed her. You two killed your own _sister._"

Kankuro shook his head. He shook his head, even though he knew that what Ino was saying was possibly true. Even though that he knew that what she was saying was _most likely _true. _No one _survived Gaara's Sand Coffin. Especially when it captured someone's entire body the way it had done to Temari's.

He began to shake, trying his best to ignore reality.

…. He did do it, then. He helped Gaara to do it. He helped him, and the two of them had done it. The two of them had committed _sororicide. _They… he…

…That wasn't what was supposed to happen. Their big sister wasn't supposed to be dead. All they had wanted to do was get her away from Shikamaru long enough for one of them to land a final blow, and then leave. If this was what had happened…

And despite her death… Shikamaru was still _alive?! They had lost their sister, and that bastard was still breathing?!_

The older man slowly curled himself up into a ball, or rather the best he could while he was missing a leg. He lowered his head into the fold, and then began to breathe deeply.

He… he _had _killed her.

He had a part in it. He didn't want to, but ultimately intention in the world they lived in meant little. Actions were worth a thousand words. His actions indicated that he hated his sister. But he didn't. Neither of them did. They just wanted her _back. _They wanted her to rejoin them in Sunagakure. So that they could go back to being siblings. So they wouldn't have to fight each other.

So they wouldn't have to kill each other. So this very thing wouldn't happen.

And yet it had. Kankuro had killed his sister.

Kankuro had killed his sister.

His own flesh and blood.

His big sister.

The puppet master of the hidden sand began to feel a deep sickness engulf him, and he nearly threw up onto the floor. All the while, Ino Yamanaka watched from her side of the bars, observing him silently. She didn't feel much remorse for the man, personally. While she and Kankuro could have once considered themselves decent friends before the war, it all changed with the declaration. And even if they had continued their friendship, she had no feelings for a man who murdered his own sister. Making her friend a widower and leaving him cold. Leaving his son motherless, and crying in a hospital.

She bit her lip, and then spat onto the floor herself.

"…We'll begin tomorrow," she stated, coldly. With that, the Head of the Yamanaka Clan quickly left the room, and shut the door heavily and loudly behind her, leaving Kankuro alone in his cell.

And now, Kankuro had his hands over his face, hiding himself from the world. He was trying to keep his emotions within him, but still remained in his ball, and didn't move from it at all. Shared memories of the past, ones that he had never been able to get out of himself, to just simply forget forever, were playing out in his head now, haunting him for his actions.

Temari was dead. By Suna law, she had paid the appropriate price for her betrayal, but by the laws of his heart, she didn't deserve it. Not by his hand, and not by his brother's hand either.

And as tears of anger, guilt and frustration began to slowly appear down his face, staining and disgracing his cheeks and falling onto the floor, a rare show of weakness, he thought back to his earlier feelings.

No, it wasn't true. Not _all _shinobi deserved to go to Hell.

He, however, deserved nothing better than that.


	18. Emissary

_AN: Another heavy chapter incoming. Sorry for making this really dark, I promise it'll at least begin to get better soon. But for now, not really._

_I forgot to answer this a while ago, but I'm going to be sure to do __**something **__with the other great villages. And I'll try to at least have everyone from the Konoha 12 make an appearance._

_Once again, thanks for everyone from reading so far. Don't worry, eventually this story will get happier. _

_**I do not own any of the characters, and I do not own Naruto**_

___"…No…"_

Gaara thought that he'd be able to do this. He slowly revealed more of the garment that he held in his hand, and his face took an even more solemn turn.

"…He wanted you to have this… He said that it would explain everything…"

Even from where he was standing, Gaara could tell that Shiori was shaking. Slowly, her tremors began to intensify, as she reached a hand out to accept the garment that Gaara was offering her…

Kankuro's black hood. Attached, his Forehead protector...

The last remnants of him in this world.

"… It was an honourable death, Shiori…"

Slowly, the hand that now held her husband's hood closed into a fist, and her eyes left her Kazekage's, instead wishing to focus themselves on the sand beneath her. She continued to shake, and eventually, her eyes decided to shut completely.

Gaara's eyes left her body, and decided to look towards the sky above them. He didn't know that he was looking for, not at all. It had been four days since Kankuro had died, the sun was setting from the sky, and he had just himself returned to the Hidden Sand Village, having had to face a sandstorm on the way back inside. The memory of his brother had not left his mind for the entire journey home, the guilt had attacked his soul, and the humiliation of it all had attacked his heart. No matter how anyone could look at it, he had been the one to choose Kankuro to come with him, he had been the one to consider the circumstances of the mission, and he had been the one who was there when Kankuro paid the ultimate price. His brother's death had been, at least in some ways, _**his **_fault.

Which is why the moment he had arrived back in the village, the first thing he had done was make his way to Kankuro's former home, to deliver the terrible news himself. It was not proper for a Kazekage to do this, but just for once, Gaara couldn't care less about the formalities. Kankuro had been _his _brother. He had died on _**his **_mission. And therefore _**Gaara **_would be the one to explain to his wife where her husband was now, not anyone else.

In his mind before, it had seemed manageable, if distressing. But like the assassination mission, once he had begun, unforeseen variables had entered the equation, and caused him more pain than he had anticipated. But this time, instead of being the appearance of someone he had not expected…

It had been the appearance of Shiori's outward emotions.

His head lowered, once again, and he found himself looking at his brother's woman, who was now leaning against the right side of her doorframe, seemingly for support. As he watched, Gaara's eyes found themselves almost straining to continue to look upon her. Just moments after the news had been given, and she already looked as if she had aged thirty years. She was a taller woman, much taller than her Kazekage and yet still a bit shorter than Kankuro had been, and yet as she stood now Gaara felt as if he was much bigger than her. Her narrowed, dark grey eyes, her right one bordered with a diagonal pair of scars, couldn't lift themselves from the sand below them, her long black hair, normally pulled back, was allowed to roam free over her face to try and obstruct her eyes. Her normally healthy body seemed frail now, and the very look of her finally began to scare Gaara, back into thinking about what to do next.

He didn't know what to do next.

He wished to give her words of encouragement, but he knew that she would assume them to be bullshit. He longed to perhaps give her a supportive hug, but this was his brother's wife, not his, and he sought to forgo such close contact. He could go on and on about how brave his brother had been in death, but that was a give-

"…How did he die, Gaara…?"

Gaara's eyes snapped back into the reality he was in, and he looked back towards Shiori's face. It was still hidden behind her hair, and it was still looking down, to avoid revealing her expression. Her voice sounded like sandpaper, it was barely audible, and her shaking was getting worse.

For now, he didn't give a damn about how she had addressed him. Gaara hardened himself, and silently went over what he would say next-

"_You know… I always wanted a little brother. Even when I was a kid… I always thought having one would be… sort of cool. And clearly… you've lived up to that expectation…"_

Gaara cringed.

The vision of his brother bleeding to death assaulted his mind. The cold, yet emotional and guilty face of his sister stabbed at his heart. The fearful, horrified eyes of his nephew gripped what was left of his soul, and threw it to the ground.

As the events of the past day came back to him, he struggled to find a way to explain just what had happened. Unknowingly, he allowed his face to show some of his emotions, his eyes closing, his brows becoming tense. His lips curled into a deeper scowl, and his hands tightened into fists. After a few moments, his head tilted forwards.

_….I… I can't do this…_

He didn't want to witness anymore of his sister-in-law's reactions. They were heartbreaking already, and the situation that they were both in was already dire enough. But for her to know what he knew, no, that would _kill _her. He couldn't, wouldn't let that happen. At the very least, not for now.

"…He bled out after… losing his leg…" The words slowly crept out of his mouth like raindrops after a heavy rain. Before his train of thought passed, he allowed her a few more details.

"…The mission was completed. The assassination target was killed. But… when we went to kill him, there was someone there that _shouldn't _have been. That person… caught us all off guard. I was able to end the assailant, but by then… it was too late for your Husband…"

_Our Nephew was a witness, the assailant was our sister, and he died in an alley. _Specifics that Gaara wanted to add, but could not bring himself to. Unnecessary information, or rather, information that he was too ashamed of to reveal. At the very least, he couldn't tell this new widow that he had left her husband to die in some dingy back alley. At the very least, he couldn't tell this woman that he had died due to his own backstabbing sister.

At this information, he saw Shiori slowly nod, to herself, and she tried to pick herself up more from the pillar, standing up a bit taller.

"…I… I understand… th…thank you for the information… Lord Kazekage."

She gave a weak smile his way, while continuing to avoid her brother-in-law's eyes. She couldn't allow herself to let the emotions that she was truly feeling shine through, but through her silence and the sound of her voice, Gaara could get a good picture of her barely holding it together. He could clearly see her truth.

In her truth, she longed to scream out. She wanted to tear the garment she held in her hand apart into a million pieces, to get all of her anger away from her. To take her anger out of the man who had been taken from her. To go to wherever her husband's soul had gone to rest, and to yell at him for all eternity. For being so reckless, no… was it truly his fault? Should she not want to murder whoever did this to her husband? Was that person still alive? But… perhaps it really had been her husband being irresponsible again. To spite her. For once, to make her feel like-

_"We're Shinobi, remember? Last time I checked, 'dying on the job' was one of the more well-knwn workplace hazards-."_

Shiori gave out a shaky sigh. Perhaps this was his own little _**fucked**_ up way of showing her how _he _felt, all this time. A clever, cruel reversal of their dynamics. The grounded daredevil out-stupids the more outward one. Perhaps, it had not even been his idea. Perhaps it was the world itself trying to test her. Perhaps it was fate itself that hated her. That wanted her to turn into this. A weak, shattered woman. Barely able to even stand up and take the news that her Kazekage was giving to her.

At this information, she gave herself a small, sorrowful smile, as she looked at the ground beneath them. That bastard said one week, at the most. And now he was gone for a lifetime. Gone forever-

_Kankuro gave a toothy smile, and began to slowly ease the ring onto her finger, until it was securely attached to her._

_ "And I'm never going to leave you, Shiori. That's one thing I'll promise."_

Shiori felt a tear leave one of her eyes. That liar. That damn…

_"Here, take this."_

_ Before Shiori could say another word, Kankuro had placed a large scroll onto her lap. She received it, and then held it up to read the characters on it's label._

_ "…This is your 'Mother' puppet…"_

_ He gave her a light smile, and then nodded._

_ "You should keep it from now on. It'll… I don't know. Let's just say it's a symbolic gift."_

_ She shook her head no immediately, and offered the puppet back to her husband._

_ "You need both Mother and Father to use either of them properly-."_

_ "Exactly. The same way that I need __**you**__ if I want to perform the best I can."_

_ Shiori was taken off guard by the sudden words, before Kankuro's smile softened, and he pushed the scroll back onto her lap._

_ "Besides… I'm a Father now, and you're a Mother. It's symbolic too. You're a Mom now, it only makes sense for me to give you this, right?"_

_ With his words, she found herself looking down, and towards her swollen belly. After a few more moments, she took a deep breath, nodded, and took the scroll back into her hands. After she took it, Kankuro immediately wrapped his arms around her, and brought her into a warm hug. _

Horrible…

_"You doing alright up there, Princess?"_

_ "Yeah!"_

_ "Alright, hold on, ok?"_

_ Shiori peaked out from the kitchen that she had been in to see an adorable sight. A two year old Okuni riding on top of her husband's shoulders, rushing around ontop of him, getting a much better view of her surroundings than she would have if she were on the ground. _

_ Kankuro slowly began to walk around their living room, while Okuni did her best to hold onto the tips of his black hood for balance. From her position, Shiori simply watched for minutes as father and daughter made their trek around the house, Kankuro being very careful not to hurt, nor drop his daughter. After a few minutes of this, the Head Puppet master finally noticed his wife's head poking out from the door that lead to the kitchen, and then gave her a smile._

_ "Hey, Princess! Your Mommy's due North!"_

_ Okuni's little head twisted and turned around until it was able to register her mother's face. Upon seeing her, the little girl giggled with joy._

_ "Mommy! Mommy! Look! I'm tall now!"_

_ Shiori's face lit up at this, and she beamed warmly. _

_ "Wow! You're so big now, Okuni! It's almost like you grew overnight! Did you do that all by yourself?"_

_ At this, she noticed her daughter give off a blush. Her eyes, the same one that her father had, peered down at the man carrying her._

_ "…Umm, Daddy?"_

_ "Yes honey?"_

_ Her voice lowered, but her mother could still make out everything she was saying._

_ "…Should I tell Mommy our secret? I don't want to lie to her, but she thinks I'm really tall for real!"_

_ "Well, it's up to you, dear. But remember, deception is the art of a ninja."_

_ Okuni nodded slowly, and then looked back towards her Mom, without a second thought or hesitation._

_ "Uh… well yeah! I did grow up all overnight! All by myself! It's all because of me!"_

_ Shiori gave her daughter a knowing look._

_ "Oh really? All by yourself, huh?"_

_ "Yeah!"_

_ "And Daddy had nothing to do with it?"_

_ "No!"_

_ Shiori then giggled to herself, placing a hand over her mouth as she did so._

_ "Well then, I guess you have potential as a shinobi yet."_

_ Okuni's eyes lit up, and she threw her hands up in victory._

_ "Yea! Awsum!"_

_ Meanwhile, Kankuro simply shrugged knowingly to his wife, eliciting a small chuckle from his kitchen companion._

Disgusting...

_After an extended reunion between them, Shiori laid on Kankuro's naked, sweaty chest. With a single movement, he had returned the sheets they had been using back over them, and then cuddled her a bit closer to him, wrapping his arms around her body. Kankuro's eyes then focused off of her, and instead onto the bright, white moon that was clearly visible on this night. With his mind elsewhere, she sighed, before shrugging._

_ "…I'm glad."_

_ Kankuro's intense eyes left the moon, and then travelled in a true path back to his lover's grey pupils. Their eyes locked for a few more moments, before his mouth opened._

_ "…About the sex…?"_

_ Shiori chuckled, while Kankuro's awkward gaze continued. _

_ "… I thought that you knew I was good for it since our first-."_

_ "That's not what I was talking about. I mean… I'm glad for the sex but that's not the only thing I'm happy about."_

_ Kankuro narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but Shiori's eyes still remained open and peering, until her words followed up._

_ "I'm also happy that we did this. You know, this relationship thing."_

_ Kankuro raised a brow at her quizzically._

_ "…Yeah, you're __**definitely **__just talking about the sex."_

_ The two then laughed simultaneously, their voices taking up the empty, silent room. Idly, the Kazekage's Brother found himself rubbing his woman's back to comfort her more, while Shiori placed a hand behind Kankuro's head to rustle with what little hair he had at the moment. Once their laughter died down, he continued._

_ "…Yeah… I guess I'm glad we did this too," he agreed. "You know, before you it was just, a random woman or a random man every night. Now I have a routine and a steady lover. No, more than just a routine and a steady lover. Now I have… a __**special**__ friend."_

_ Shiori continued to play with Kankuro's features, her fingers beginning to go along his face, before she spoke again too._

_ "__**Special**__ friend… that's what we're calling what we have?"_

_ "I don't know what people would call __**us **__to be honest."_

_ "Hmm… how about Boyfriend and Girlfriend?"_

_ Kankuro studied the wrinkles on her face._

_ "We're both way too old to be calling ourselves boys and girls."_

_ "Lovers?"_

_ "Everyone uses that. What we have is different, I think." _

_ "Hmm… how about… Partners?"_

_ Kankuro screwed up his face._

_ "Partners?"_

_ "Catch-all term. It sounds adult enough for you, and it sounds professional enough for you too. Besides, it's a bit special, don't you think?"_

_ Shiori watched as Kankuro's face straightened, as he began to think of her suggestion. After a few moments, he nodded slowly._

_ "…Partners it is," he answered proudly. And without further notice, he gave her a peck on her cheek._

Another tear began to stream down her cheek.

Liar. Kankuro was a Filthy, horrible _**liar**_.

Gaara stood there as his brother's wife wrestled with her emotions. Every other time someone had died on duty, he had sent someone else to give the remnants of that someone's family the horrible news. But now, as he did it for himself, he found himself not privy to critical understanding. He didn't know when to leave. He didn't know how to help the woman in front of him. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to go on…

His eyes opened once again, and he looked up to study Shiori. She was still pale and weak looking, Kankuro's hood still held tightly in her hands, her still leaning against the doorframe of her home. Looking completely alone. Looking defeated…

Looking _hopeless._

He cleared his throat. No, there was one thing that he knew he could give her, and give her it well. _Hope. _He could give her that.

"Kankuro's death will not be in vain. It… it already is not. With his sacrifice, he allowed the Sand Village to take away the mind of the Hidden Leaf Village. Without a mind, one cannot think. With it's mind gone, the fiend that is the Hidden Leaf Village can easily be outwitted. And because of this, our victory in this war has essentially been confirmed."

He paused to see Shiori look up at him, a glimmer slowly shimmering in her eyes. Good. He… he would just restate the truths. Kankuro's presence would be missed, but at the very least she'd have his words, she's have his inspiration. That… that would help her survive this. At the very least, his words would help her.

"Keep his memory with you. Know that in his final moments, he loved you. He would not have laid down his life if it wasn't in order to protect you. To protect the village that we all were born and raised in. To ensure that we could all live long, prosperous lives. To-."

"Uncle Gaara!"

And at the very sound of a young voice, whatever sphere of hope that Gaara was trying to create broke nearly immediately. Because the divinities didn't just want him to just comfort a 38 year old widow now…

Now he was expected to also comfort a five year old.

From the room that was behind Shiori, Gaara watched as his niece, Okuni, slowly rushed into the area. The girl had her dark brown hair tied back into a loose ponytail, was dressed n a small, black tracksuit, and was rushing out quickly to greet her Uncle. Past her mother, and outside, embracing Gaara and giving him a tight, huge hug. Shiori watched her enthusiasm with horror, and Gaara's face was the exact same tone.

No. He couldn't do it. No. No. This is where he drew the line. He was expected to acknowledge his sister's betrayal, witness his brother's death, comfort his brother's widow, and now tell his young niece that her father was dead, all within the same week? Someone in heaven wanted him to suffer for a past sin. That was the only explanation that he could possibly think of, and he was not a very superstitious man.

From Shiori's position, she longed to reach out and retrieve her daughter, but how could she. She looked like hell herself, she felt like she was walking amongst the inferno itself, and she was barely able to stand up with the news that her husband was dead. She could only imagine the pain that she could bring to the already unstable situation by being the one to tell her daughter that her father wasn't going to come home.

But she didn't need to rouse her. Okuni removed her face from her Uncle's cloths soon enough, and then looked up at him, smiling. Gaara's pale eyes were glazed over with a clear show of unknown.

"Sorry, Uncle Kazekage. Ka-ze-ka-ge! In public, I'm supposed to call you Uncle Kazekage in public! Well, you're back! That's awesome! That's cool! You're back on the same day that Daddy said you'd be! How was your mission?! Was it successful? How successful? Maybe super successful?"

The girl then looked past Gaara, and raised a brow.

"Huh? Dad… Uncle Gaara, where's Dad?"

_…Don't make me do this._

"He's supposed to be with you, right? He went on a mission with you…"

_Is this consequence for my childhood?_

"Is he hurt? Is he in the hospital?"

_When I killed all those people...? Is this a result of that?_

"Okay, well if he's in the hospital then that means he'll be ok! Cool. So can you tell me about some of the cool stuff my Dad did while he was out there?!"

_Consequence for when I murdered Yashamaru? I don't get to be a good Uncle, because I slew my own?_

"… Uncle? Uncle what's wrong?"

_ She doesn't deserve this. She's five. She's only fi-_

"…Mommy… Mommy are you ok?"

Gaara's eyes refocused to see that the child had gone back to her mother, and was now standing in front of her. All the while, Shiori seemed paralyzed, and her tears were streaming down her face like a river now, all attempts at keeping her composure gone.

"…Mommy…"

Shiori's words would not come to her. She couldn't tell a lie. She slowly held out her husband's hood in front of her daughter, and then looked away, as if not seeing the reaction from her gesture would make anything remotely better.

"…Daddy's hood…"

She was a bright child. She didn't need much explainati-

"…Mommy… is Daddy coming back?"

Her strength finally failing her, Shiori fell to her knees, and placed both of her hands on her child's shoulders. On her infant's shoulders. _On _Kankuro's shoulders.

"…Your Dad… he died out there fighting the bad guys, baby. He's not coming back."

And instantly, Gaara's heart broke.

"But Daddy promised! He said one week, he said one week! He said he'd get back and we'd finish the story!"

Shiori's tears were like a waterfall now, and eyes struggled to stay open, her lips nearly refusing to move. Okuni's face had turned defensive quickly, and her fists were balled up. Her mother would try her best to continue.

"…Your Daddy can't come back, baby."

Some tears began to form in Okuni's eyes, and she slowly began to wipe them away.

"But… we're not finished… but… Daddy… I…"

"Baby-."

"_**I don't like this joke! I don't like this trick! I don't like this story! Don't like to me!**_"

"I'm not not lying to you dear please just-."

"W-W-W-Why'd he have to go out on this _**STUPID **_mission anyways?! Who forced him to go!?"

Okuni turned around to see her Uncle, and Gaara immediately felt as if he had been stabbed in the gut. _Oh my god please do not-_

"You…. Uncle Gaara, why didn- You're… Uncle Gaa- Why didn- Why didn't- Uncle, Unc- And… Why… Why'd … _**Why did you have to choose my Daddy to go with you!? Why did Daddy have to work so much all the time!? Why didn't you get someone else to do it?!"**_

__The little girl's eyes were red as anything by this point, and she didn't know what to do with her emotions. It was clear from the look on her face, and it was clear from her actions that she didn't know what to _**do **_with her anger. Her sadness, her loss. She didn't know what to do, except cover her crying eyes, and eventually run into her mother's open arms, hiding her face from the rest of the world.

All the while, Gaara's inner tears finally began to show themselves on his face.

He wanted to show more. Everything that was on his inside. But that would require setting himself on fire. That would require setting himself on fire, and then burying himself in his own sand. That would require him going to Konohagakure, and burning everything in that village down, and singlehandedly killing most of the people in it.

But he wouldn't show it. He would hide it. He would stay strong. He would appear so. He had to be strong. He has to be strong. He is the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village, and he had been so since he was a young man. He couldn't give up his façade now, he had to remain strong. The strong, stoic, inspiring and brave Kazekage of the Wind, setting an example for everyone in his village.

He wiped his tears away, and took a deep breath. He looked towards the small huddle near the door, the mother and daughter crying together over a husband, his brother, which was never coming back. He had to comfort them in some way. He had to help.

"…His sacrifice will not be forgotten," he began. His voice was weak with sadness, but he began to temper it into a stronger one.

"… Because of his loss, because of his work… you… you two will see. The village will be safer for it. You two will be safer for it… you… you two… you two will see. I promise, his death will not be in vain. He… he died so he could end this. End this war. End all of this suffering and pain. And in the coming weeks, months, years, you'll see that wish come to fruition. I promise you two will."

He took a pause, to notice that the two of them were still huddled. And then he remembered the most important thing about his train of thought.

"…And just remember that he loved you two dearly. His last thoughts were of you two. And with his love in your hearts, please, do not forget his sacrifice. Live. Live for yourselves, and live for him…"

There were no more inspiring words that he could think of. His time here was done. He had delivered the dreadful messages, and now his continued presence would likely only make the two of them even more upset.

"…And please… just know that I am here for the both of you. If you two ever need to just… talk... or you need help just… ask me. I shall give it to you the best I can. It is the least that I can do…"

And so, Gaara bowed before the two of them, before turning to go down the steps of Kankuro's former estate, and left.

…

…

He rounded into a back-alley before his tears broke free.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Mom, how'd you end up with such a bum like my Dad?"_

_ Temari Nara's eyes widened at her son's unusual request. Shikadai noticed her reaction and shrugged, helping himself to more of the kelp in front of him. _

_ "…Huh?" _

_ "I asked 'how'd you end up with such a bum like my Dad?'-."_

_ "Your Father's not a bum."_

_ "Yeah-yeah. So. How'd it happen?"_

_ If it wasn't so early in the morning, Temari would've reprimanded her son. But as it was at the moment, she was just tied from an entire night of working. She put down her laundry basket, and then turned herself to look at the six year old straight on._

_ "What makes you ask that?"_

_ Shikadai shrugged._

_ "Well, you're troublesome. You're really loud and aggressive, and active and everything. Dad's troublesome too, but he's a different kind of troublesome. He's quiet and passive, lazy and everything. How'd you two even end up together? Why are you even with him?"_

_ At this, Temari found herself chuckling hysterically. After a moment, Shikadai raised a brow._

_ "Wha-."_

_ "Well… your Dad does have his good traits. He's loyal, calm, smart, and brave. Dedicated when he can find a good cause-." _

_ "But there are so many other guys out there Mom. And those guys got what Dad's got but are less lazy than he is. So what gives?"_

_ Temari shrugged._

_ "Well, those guys don't have something that your Dad does."_

_ "What's that?"_

_ "Your Dad has this thing… where he'll be a complete bum in every other aspect, to the point where it drives me crazy… but he'll remember to buy my flowers. Or he'll remember it was my birthday, and he'll make that day special for me. And… he sure is dedicated to the causes he gives a damn about."_

_ "Well, I still don't get it."_

_ Temari shrugged._

_ "I didn't expect you to. You will when you get older."_

_ "Pftt, yeah right. Adults are too troublesome to understand."_

_ Temari smiled, and then rolled her eyes at her young child. Shikadai looked up at her smile, her bright, open smile, revealing all of her teeth…_

_ He smiled, and then rolled his eyes. Well, if he didn't get what his Mom married his Dad for, he'd at least figure out why his Dad bothered with his Mom. Or rather, had a clue about-_

Shikadai Nara didn't want to wake up.

When the alarm clock began to ring beside him, he immediately made his fist hit it, and cringed as he heard it knock against the floor beside him. Afterwards, he attempted to push himself back to sleep for a few minutes longer, before realising that it wasn't going to happen. He had slept much more than his required 8 hours a day, and as a result he wasn't going to be able to fall back into the dark abyss. Once he realised that, he took a deep breath, and then swung himself onto the other side of his bed. He got himself dressed, and then entered his personal bathroom to spruce himself up. He did up his ponytail, rechecked the time on his clock, before his eyes focused on himself in the mirror.

There he was. Shikadai Nara. Future Member of the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio, son of Shikamaru Nara, Academy student, heir to the Nara Clan. The boy with a brilliant mind. Here he was with his young, fresh face, his dark green eyes, his jet black hair, his smooth chin, and his two earring studs given to him by his father.

Here he stood.

Without a mother.

_ "Mom!? Mom!? Please let me in! My Mom's in there! Please! Mom?! Let me see my Mom! I need to see my mom!"_

Once he remember this, he immediately left the washroom, and shut the door to his best ability behind him. He shut his eyes and covered his face once he was away from his mirror. Away from himself. Away from the evidence. Away from his eyes, which were identical to his mother's. Away from his hair, his father's. Away from his past, away from his future.

Away from his world. He wanted… he wanted to get out of the world he was living in. He wanted to run away, or maybe just hide under his bed, and pretend like he wasn't here. Maybe that way, his father, the Kaze-

The Kazekage. His Father.

Shikadai slowly removed his hands from his face, and opened his eyes. He scanned his room for his backpack, and then put it on. He then slipped on his sandals, and slowly sat himself on the edge of his bed, and looked up at the ceiling, calming himself down, and remembering his truths.

The Kazekage had taken his mother away from him. This was a simple fact. His mother had done nothing wrong, her only sin being that she had been married to his father. And yet this didn't stop the Kazekage from butchering his mother. It didn't stop him from harming his father.

It didn't stop his mother from passing the day before.

Upon the memory, Shikadai clutched his chest. After he had gotten enough tears out, his father had brought him home, and then promptly had disappeared for the rest of the day. He had spent the rest of the day in his room, trying to remember things from school, trying to distract himself, but failing. His mother was gone. His Mom was dead. He didn't know what to do about it. He... he was angry. He was scared. He wanted his Mother back. He needed his mother back. He didn't… deserve this! He was a child, why was he having to go through this!

The very memory began to bring tears to the young boy's eyes…-

"…Shikadai. Come on out and get some breakfast before you head to school."

"Yeah-yeah! Give me a second."

And to make matters worse, he was left with his father.

Shikadai didn't know exactly what to think of his father. He had heard great things about him from literally everyone in his life, and yet he had seen none of these things in action. Apparently he was a very dedicated man, even though he sometimes would try to shirk out on his responsibilities when he was at home. Apparently he was a very smart man, and yet he had never truly figured out how to win the war, and it had been going on since before Shikadai was even born. And nothing of Shikamaru's title as "The Great Stag of Konohagakure" was reflected on those days when Shikadai had returned home late at night, some combination of hurt, and needed his own wife to nurse him back to health.

He had no reason to think that life with having only his father as his parent was going to be anything other than hard and boring. Their household had clearly needed his mother to be there to-

His mother.

_"What's this?"_

_ "Just an A."_

_ "Oh, so you're finally using that brain of yours, huh? Or did you just need help all this time-."_

_ "That was all me."_

_ "As I thought. Well… Good job son. You should do it more often."_

_ "Yeah…Ok. Thanks Mom."_

He had to stop thinking of her. Every time he did, hit unleashed a vase full of pain. He had to… he had to get her back. Or at the very least, he had to make sure that whoever had killed her paid the ultimate price…

He took a deep breath. No… he would think of a way to get his needs, but he would have to do so later. When he wasn't hungry, and when there wasn't school to be attended.

He left his room and then went down his hall towards the kitchen. Once he entered the kitchen, he saw a small parcel of lunch on the counter top, which he quickly put into his bag. Looking around, he soon noticed a plate of eggs in a place that was next to…

Shikamaru Nara. His father.

Shikadai wouldn't sneer. He would go in, and he would sit in his allotted spot. His Dad at the head of the table, he, being the son, sitting next to him. He did so. In front of him, a small plate of eggs stood. He began to eat.

Shikamaru didn't say a word.

The quiet was eerie. Usually, a morning in the Nara household involved some sort of chatter. Even if it was an argument, it was something. But now, with Temari's absence….

It sounded like a grave.

Finally, Shikadai found the absence to be too much for him to handle alone. He looked up at his father…

And immediately stopped his idea. Seeing his father's face was enough to make him know that he shouldn't be brought into a large conversation.

He looked dead. His hair was still up into his signature ponytail, but his skin was pale, his eyes were dilated, the scowl on his face heavy. Instead of eating, he was helping himself to a cup of tea. Usually, that cup of tea would have been prepared by his wife, specially brewed for him, but he had had to make do with his own imitation. He hadn't gotten out of his pajama robe, implying that he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon, and his eyes were focused completely on the tea in front of him, as if that was his life source. As if that was the one reason why he kept on living. As if that was the only thing in the world.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Shikamaru's real life source was gone.

And his father was silent, and completely focused on it. This gave Shikadai time to think. If he was ever going to bring his plot of reparation into fruition, he needed a lot of things. Thankfully, his clan was rich, so it was possible that he could become like his father in a way, commanding people like one would command a piece in Shogi. Perhaps he could just buy people to do what he wanted. But before he could even begin to do that, he needed to research. He needed to get tools. He needed to have-.

"…Your Mother's funeral is going to be in a week."

_Mother…._

Shikadai looked back up towards his father, to see that he had been lifting his tea cup in mid-air before he had said that. His teacup hand was now shaking, and Shikadai found himself captivated by it for a moment, as he tried to forget that his father had mentioned his mother. He couldn't think of something like that. He couldn't. He had to keep it together…

"…Shikadai… did you hear me?"

His father's voice was normally stronger, but now he sounded as if someone had ripped out his spine. Weak, wobbly. Routed.

Shikadai looked up to his father, and gave him a nod. And then, keeping his composure, he took a breath of sadness, and allowed his forbidden topic to return.

"…What are we going to do now, Dad?"

He needed to know. Would they be making any strides to get revenge? Shikamaru was the father, he should be in charge of something such as this. What about on a day to day basis. Shikadai knew that Shikamaru couldn't cook, it was going to be a disaster. What was going to happen with the war? What was going to happen to the Village?

What was going to happen to the remnants of his family-?

"…I don't know, son."

And thus Shikadai's dislike of his father increased. A man had come into his home, killed his wife, and then ran off, and he didn't know what he was going to do? Even though the fear that Shikadai had, he _knew _that _something _had to be done. He, he would have to do something to the man that murdered his mother, and ripped his family apart. The man that turned his mornings into a boy eating along and a father drinking tea, with no words exchanged between them. The man who had taken away his mother, such an important motivator in his life. His guide. The other half of him.

And while Shikadai was thinking of plans to get the revenge the he, no, _they _deserved, through his pain, through his fear and his crying, Shikamaru was not able to take a hint? The way that he stood in his chair now, his mouth agape, his teacup still wobbling in his hand, and his eyes frantically trying to focus themselves, it was like Shikamaru was dead. Or dying.

In truth, they both were. They were both dying. But, in Shikadai's eyes, Shikadai was going to stab the man who killed him…

While Shikamaru was going to let it happen. But in reality, Shikamaru just knew full well that one should not murder his or her own family…

While Shikadai had no idea of his relations.

And thus was the boy who wanted action, and the man who struggled to understand what action he was to take.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gaara walked into his quarters in the Kazekage Mansion.

In the bed that they shared, Matsuri lifted her head, instantly waking up.

She wasn't supposed to be there.

No, she _**was. **_

__She should have been his wife since ten years ago.

Upon seeing one another, her face lit up, while his darkened.

He strode over to the area they had usually met, so many times, clothed or not clothed, in passion, in play, in anger, in sadness.

The look on his face was horrifying to Matsuri. She knew that mission he had gone out on. She knew the risks.

"…Gaara…"

He instantly pushed himself into her arms, and then finally allowed himself to finish his tears. She slowly closed her own eyes, and hugged him tighter.

"…Gaara…"

His voice quivered like a little boy.

"Temari… traitor… Kankuro… dead… Shiori… Okuni… No… no no no no no no what am I doing?! Who… what…. What am I?! Who… what…. Why did I-."

Before he ran could go any further, Matsuri silenced his lips with a kiss.

Before their kiss could become too passionate, she pulled away.

Before he could feel alone, for the millionth time in his life, she slowly turned him so that he was facing her, and then placed his hands in hers, and vice versa.

"…Tell me everything, Gaara. _Let it all out._"

And so Gaara took a deep breath, and the more he spoke, the stronger and stronger his voice became.

_That's all for this chapter. To be honest I might have rushed this a little bit, I finished this off at 4:40 am in the morning. Either way, I hope you guys enjoyed. R&amp;R. Thank you all for reading so far!_


	19. Two Sensei

_AN: So the next chapter is going to be heavy once again, but I decided to write a chapter that's mostly a flashback? To give people some smiles, and also reveal a lot of what's been going on with another side character in this story? I know people wanted more Temari, so she's going to be (Posthumously at least) in this chapter a lot. There'll also be a lot of Shikamaru, some Shikadai (but he'll mostly be a baby), and maybe I'll add some other characters in? Also, because I really want to get past the Funeral, this will be a rather short chapter. Either way, I hope people like this. _

_**I do not own any of the characters, and I do not own Naruto. **_

_Six Days after the Events of Part 18…_

"Mission Completed, sir!"

Naruto Uzumaki nodded considerately, and then quickly placed his signature stamp onto the document in front of him. He looked at the piece of paper in front of him for a few moments longer, lost in thought. The woman in front of him raised one of her brows, and then began to study her Hokage's face. He looked at least twenty years older than he was, and his eyes were red with exhaustion.

"… Is there something wrong, sir?" She asked. Her voice was a bit abrasive, but all the while still meant well. Naruto finally snapped out of his stupor, and then looked back up at her.

"… Good job completing your mission." His eyes turned to the tall man that stood behind her to her right.

"Kako Hajime."

The man bowed. Naruto's eyes turned over to the man who was standing at the woman's other side, behind her.

"Genzai Kita."

The other man adjusted his glasses before he bowed. And finally, Naruto's eyes turned to the woman was standing directly in front of him.

"Mirai Sarutobi. Your mission is indeed complete."

Mirai then bowed as well. Her brown hair almost came out of it's temporary ponytail, but she quickly fixed it once her bow was over. Once she was standing once again, she began to notice more things about Naruto.

He was leaning back in his chair rather heavily. The normal smile, or at least neutral look, was now a scowl, something that she usually didn't see on the man. His robes were crinkled, his hair had been grown out a bit more, and his chin was showing signs of a stubble.

She narrowed her eyes. There _was _something amiss going on. She hesitated for a moment, knowing that it wasn't her place to comment on her Kage's looks. Before she could think any further, his words entered the room again.

"There… there will be a funeral tomorrow morning. I expect most of the shinobi, well, if you had any relations to the one who has fallen, please come. At least show some… support."

Ah. She was onto something now. A funeral.

She took a deep breath, before sighing quietly. Before the period of relative peace, there had been at least three funerals every week. But in this period of relative peace, she had expected the funerals to have stopped. Clearly this wasn't the case.

Naruto continued, his voice continued.

"… Mirai… you especially, need to be there…"

Mirai raised one of her brows.

"Hm? Is there a specific reason why I need to attend, or…?"

She felt a sickness come to her stomach when she notices Naruto turn his eyes away from her. This wasn't like him. Not like the man at all.

He took a deep sigh, and then shook his head.

"…The funeral's for Temari."

And suddenly, there was a silence. As Mirai's eyes began to widen in absolute disbelief, a sudden shout interrupted her thought process.

"What?!"

She didn't need to look behind her. She'd heard that voice a million and one times in the 8 years she had been an official shinobi. At any other time, she would have wondered if Kako Hajime had any other emotion other than anger when he shouted, but she couldn't give herself the luxury for today. The news was more important.

"… You're joking," she muttered. Her normally healthy face and strong features had turned weak, and her eyes were frantically searching her Hokage's face for a clue that he was lying. But she could find no such clue. His eyes, face, and scowl were telling her that he had been dead serious.

Naruto looked away from them once again, and this time didn't look back, signalling his dismissal of them.

"…It will be held… tomorrow at 10am… lasting until… until Shikamaru says that it's done. I'll…. This is over. It's…"

"How did this happen!?" Kako shouted, once Naruto's voice faded out. Mirai's weak eyes allowed her to look behind her, and see that the man's face, in contrast to hers, was angrier than it was sad. Without saying anything, she watched as the man began to shake, his large hands putting themselves into fists. Another voice entered the affray.

"Kako... shut up."

Mirai's eyes didn't leave Kako's body. She knew the other voice well. A smoother, almost silky, yet condescending tone. Genzai.

"It's disrespectful. Just cut it out-."

"What _happened_?!" Kako's voice climbed over Genzai's, and continued to try and elicit a response from the man who sat in front of the three now, his eyes looking away from the group.

"…How did she die?! You owe us-."

"Shut _UP, _Kako! You're going to get us in trouble-"

"I don't care! We need to know the details-."

"Don't you think that'll make it even worse!?"

"No! It's better to know-."

There was the sudden sound of a loud thud from in front of them, and the group stopped their bickering to look back at their Kage. They noticed that a stack of books that had once been on his desk were now on the floor. Intentional or not, the fall of them was the sound.

He was looking back at all of them now. He took a breath, and then another detail crept from his lips.

"…Internal bleeding… caused by an attack…"

"By who-."

"Kak-."

"Her own, _**damn**_, brothers."

_"Lift your head up, girl. Face your death with some honour."_

Mirai suddenly turned around, and left the office immediately. She didn't let herself pause for even a moment.

"… Hey! Mirai! Wait!"

She didn't turn around. She kept on trekking on. Down the stairs. Out of the building…

"Wait up!"

Because, despite the emotions she began to feel, despite the anger she began to feel within her heart…

She knew that Shikamaru was feeling it tenfold.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Fifteen Years Earlier…_

_ Mirai Sarutobi pouted, and then looked up at the blonde woman who was standing in front of her, with her arms crossed._

_ "No fair! Let me have some!"_

_ Temari rolled her eyes._

_ "Your Mom said that you could only have three," she stated. "You can't have anymore."_

_ Mirai stomped._

_ "Why not?"_

_ "Your Mom said no."_

_ "Well…. Just don't' tell Mom! I really want another one…"_

_ Temari was about to answer again, but then she paused, then leaned back to balance herself against the fridge. Idly, she began to wonder how she even got herself into this mess. Shikamaru had been asked to look after the toddler for Kurenai as she went on a mission. And then, of course, Shikamaru conveniently found out that he had something else to do himself, and now, of course, she was in charge of the toddler. Despite her very little experience with them. Despite the fact that she really wasn't a good role model._

_ And now she was stuck with this little, admittedly adorable, yet persistent, child in front of her. Looking up at her with her deep red eyes. Slowly beginning to cross her own arms, just as she was._

_ Temari narrowed her eyes. From her position on the floor, Mirai huffed._

_ "If you don't let me have one, I'm just going to find a way to get it later!" She sneered._

_ "Good luck with that."_

_ "Why do you gotta be so mean!? Please, can I have one more?"_

_ "No."_

_ "Pleaaassseee?"_

_ "No."_

_ "Plea-."_

_ Temari sighed, and then rolled her eyes. All thing considered, she had been a good girl. Aside from this instance, she listened to her, didn't make a big mess, and she did her homework. Hell, she was even better behaved than her own brother had been at her age. That was something to consider._

_ However, this incident was beginning to get more and more annoying._

_ "I miss Shikamaru." Mirai muttered. "Big brother Shikamaru would've let me have another cookie."_

_ "Well, I'm not big brother Shikamaru."_

_ "No, you're his stupid girlfriend!" _

_ If Mirai hadn't been about 6 years old, then Temari would've fought her right then and there. She lifted a hand to try and swat her away._

_ "Just buzz off kid."_

_ Mirai huffed, and then began to pace back and forth. _

_ "No!"_

_ Temari sighed, but held her ground, simply watching as the little girl in front of her continued to pace. She had no double that on the inside she was probably thinking of something. The cookie jar on top of the fridge she leaned against was going to be attained by the little one somehow, she was sure of it. She'd have to keep an even closer eye on her._

_ Eventually, the girl got tired of pacing in front of the kitchen and turned to head back to the living room. Temari sighed, and then pushed herself off of the fridge, following her. They entered the room..._

_ And then Mirai took off away from her._

_ The girl was able to rush ahead, and then turn around and run through the same door that the two had rushed through. Temari had to move quickly, turning herself back to watch the toddler rush back into the kitchen. She began to move towards her, but the girl was slightly faster. She ran up to the fridge, and then moved forwards to jump…_

_ Much higher than a 5 year old should have been able to._

_ She was able to latch her tiny hands onto the edge of the top of the fridge, before Temari quickly grabbed her from behind, and brought her back down to the ground. She then quickly moved herself between the girl and the fridge again, Mirai now sitting on the floor catching her breath, and Temari now completely dumbstruck._

_ She didn't know that kids could move that fast, not at all. And the leap that she had made for the top of the fridge was something out of the ordinary, for sure. Completely out of the ordinary…_

_ "How can you even do that?" She asked. Mirai finally finished being on the ground, and slowly stood up to look her baby sitter in the face._

_ "Well, I used my training!"_

_ The Sand Ninja narrowed her eyes._

_ "Really. Shikamaru taught you how to do that?"_

_ "…No. I just… I dunno."_

_ That… wasn't normal in the slightest. But the fact that she could even move that fast was impressive…_

_ As well as the fact that, no matter what Temari did now, with these skills, that extra cookie was as good as hers…_

_ With a sigh, the older woman turned behind her to reach to the cookie jar that sat at the top of the fridge, and took one of the delicious treats out. When Mirai saw her do this, she grinned, and immediately began to jump up and down in front of her. Temari turned around and sighed at the scene. If she gave her this now, she'd likely be this hyper and annoying for the rest of the night. _

_ Whatever, she thought._

_ "Here," Temari said, placing the cookie into Mirai's small hands. "But you're only getting this because… what you did back there was pretty impressive. Don't tell Big Brother Shikamaru or your Mom that I gave you this though, ok kid?"_

_ Mirai nodded adamantly._

_ "Of course! No problem…. Big Sister Temari!"_

_ When the words were finished flowing out of Mirai's mouth, Temari found herself dumbstruck. She simply looked at the little girl in front of her, watching her as she devoured her cookie, and began to feel a weird feeling of… belonging. In a village that was 3 days away from her real home. _

_ She eventually shrugged. It was probably just a nickname. She'd get used to it._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Mirai eventually stopped her memories as she came onto the closest thing that Konohagakure had to a main street. Around her, multiple people were going to and fro, some with carts, others with children in their arms or children by their feet, others with bags in their hand. Some of them being Shinobi like her, and if they were, they were walking, or talking.

But she was doing neither of these. She was practically sprinting…

"Mirai! Wait up!"

…through the street, trying her best to get back to the Nara Residence before mid-day came…

"Mirai!"

… she needed to check on her sensei-

"Mirai!"

Suddenly, her teammate Kako appeared directly in front of her. She stopped her sprinting, but before she could fully get her bearings, he began to speak. Or rather, yell in her face.

"What the hell, Mirai? Why'd you just leave like that!? You were… you didn't even tell us where you were going! You need to do that! You can't just leave us behind like that!"

Mirai finished catching her breath, and then stood up tall. Kako was a tall man, but she was still his equal in terms of height. After spending a few moments staring into his dark blue eyes, she looked away, and then sighed.

"…Sorry," she muttered. "I just… I need to go somewhere right now."

"Ok then. Where are you going?"

"I have to go… I think you know where I'm going, Kako."

Kako spent a few moments standing in front of her, trying to remember and figure out exactly what she was referring to…

And once he did, his pale face slowly became even more devoid of colour and melanin.

"…Oh…"

She looked past him, and took a breath. At any other time, if they had any other news, she probably would have stayed to explain it more. But she didn't have the time. And in truth, she didn't need to. Both of her teammates knew about her training with Shikamaru. She didn't need to explain any further. And if Temari was truly dead-

Before Mirai could take off sprinting again, she felt a jolt to her chest. Her face turned pained.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_ "Temari Nara, could you please be one of my Sensei? I mean… could you please train me? Teach me more about Wind Release?"_

_ Almost immediately, Shikamaru's face turned dark, his brows narrowed, and when he spoke, he used a tone that he never before had used with his student._

_ "__**Hell**__ no."_

_ Sitting on the deck beside him, Temari turned to her husband quickly. _

_ "Shikamaru, she wasn't asking you. She was asking me-."_

_ "The answer is no, Mirai." The Jonin Commander caught his tone, and then quickly added, "Just no. I'm sorry."_

_ Standing in her position in the garden of the Nara estate, below the deck where Shikamaru and Temari sat, Mirai felt like a peasant asking a king for a favor. It was the middle of the day, the sun was beating down on her, and after a long training session with Shikamaru, she was beginning to regret that she had asked such a question, and ruined the mood. She needed some water or some shade. But considering the mood she had put him in, she was expecting him to kick her out at any time. Shikamaru had never been so mean with her before, but this was a different circumstance. Anything could happen._

_ Of course, anything did happen. She watched as Temari placed her hand onto Shikamaru's face, and then pushed him back onto the deck behind him. Shikamaru let out a loud groan, and Mirai found herself shivering despite the heat. Temari was really scary sometimes. And here she was, asking her to train her._

_ After her husband was subdued, Temari turned her eyes back to Mirai. When she spoke, her voice was full of shock._

_ "…You want __**me **__to train __**you?" **__She stuttered. "In Wind Release… you said?"_

_ Mirai nodded. _

_ "I want to get stronger. And now that there's a war going on... I need to be as strong as possible." Remembering that Shikamaru was in the area, she coughed and quickly added words._

_ "Shikamaru's an awesome sensei… but he can't teach me more about my Wind Affinity. You can. You can I have the same affinity. And you were… are a Jonin. You probably know a lot. So that's just why I'm asking."_

_ "The answer's still no."_

_ Temari turned her head to see that Shikamaru had said those words. After a few moments, he collected himself and pushed himself up so that he was sitting cross legged again, right beside her. This time, when Temari raised her hand to try and take him out of the conversation, he caught it, and pulled it down into his lap. He took a breath, and then narrowed his eyes at her._

_ "Dammit woman, just __**listen **__to me for once! Or just let __**me**__ lead for once! I-."_

_ "I don't see why you're getting so defensive about this! She didn't ask you, she asked me-."_

_ "I can't have you do this-."_

_ "Why?-."_

_ "It's dangerous!"_

_ Shikamaru looked away from his wife, and back at Mirai. He took a breath to collect himself, and then before Temari could speak again, he was allowed a chance to explain himself._

_ "Temari has… very obvious fight techniques. Very obvious jutsu. Very obvious movements. Very obvious skills. No… obvious is the wrong word for it. Well, __**famous **__is the right one. A lot of the things she knows… well… only she knows. And really, she was the best wind user in her village. Now, what do you think's going to happen when the Hidden Sand Village notices that there's a new shinobi on the other side of the war, suspiciously using a lot of the same techniques as their former shinobi? There's going to be trouble. You might be targeted..."_

_ Shikamaru's voice faded away, and when it returned it was shaking._

_ "… Worst case scenario… you might be __**killed.**__ And then… well… her brothers are the heads of Sunagakure's government. If they even get a hint of where she is, or that she might still be alive… that's… I can't put __**either**__ of you in danger. So I'm not letting her train you. I'm sorry. If you want to get more in tune with your affinity, you'll have to ask someone else."_

_ Shikamaru took a breath, and then placed a hand on his head. Mirai wasn't sure if this was from Temari pushing him back earlier, or the words that he had just said. Either way, she was standing there, with a guilty look on her face, and before long her eyes left her sensei and looked towards the ground._

_ She hadn't really thought of things in that way. She should've known that the proposition was stupid in the first place, from before she even asked. Her head remained looking at the ground, before she heard a shuffling in front of her. She lifted her head to see that Temari had turned herself to look more directly at Shikamaru, and her face was stern._

_ "…You're being too melodramatic," she spat. Shikamaru slowly removed his hand from his temple, and his wife continued, her tongue not caring about her tone._

_ "It's really… listen that elaborate scenario of yours isn't a very likely thing. Back when I… was in Sunagakure… I doubt anyone really was paying attention to my techniques. They wouldn't be so obvious as that some random ninja would be able to recognize them."_

_ "Tem-."_

_ "Second of all, I am your wife, not your __**child. **__I have my __**own**__ mind, and I can make decisions like this on my own. Sometimes I might ask for your help, but if I don't then you shouldn't be interrupting me."_

_ "Troubl- Listen jus-."_

_ "And __**finally**__… Shikamaru this is going to __**help **__her. She wants to be even stronger than she is. The damn war's been going on for four years now, eventually she's going to be called to the front, with her rank and all. If I can teacher her even more moves than she already knows… then her chances of surviving would get even better. This wouldn't endanger her. This __**could**__ save her life one day."_

_ Mirai felt a piece of pride, seeing Temari speak in favour of the proposition. But she wouldn't smile outwardly, and she kept her face blank. Most importantly, she knew that even through Temari's words, she would respect Shikamaru's opinion on something as big as this. Temari hadn't been trusted by the girl's father to look after her. Shikamaru had._

_ Moments passed as Shikamaru began to consider Temari's point of view. Sweat began to break onto Mirai's brow, not from exercise, but from heat. By this time, she was thirsty. But she didn't want to break up the location that they were right now. She wanted to finish this. She wanted her answer._

_ And finally, she received one. When Temari got tired of waiting for her husband to finally figure out what he wanted to let happen._

_ "Alright kid. I'll teach you."_

_ Shikamaru lifted his head to look up at Temari, and Temari gulped at him. She then turned herself to Mirai, and continued._

_ "The sessions probably won't be nearly as long or as frequent as your sessions with Shikamaru. I have other duties to take care of, and I also have to look after Shikadai. But… I'll make some time for you."_

_ At the end, Temari took a breath and smiled. Mirai continued to look towards Shikamaru, who looked at his wife with disappointed and fearful eyes._

_ "Besides, every ninja should be able to get nice and comfortable with their affinity. There aren't that many wind users in Konoha. And we, the few, should stick together."_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"Mirai!"

Mirai shuddered as she heard Kako's loud voice again. She turned her head to see that the man was still standing where she had left him, but now his eyes were clouded over with worry.

"…Are you going to be ok? Can you make it there by yourself?"

Mirai nodded immediately, and before Kako could take anymore of her time, she began to speed off in the direction of her destination.

As she rushed through the main street, she was careful not to hurt anyone else with her leaping. She was careful to stay out of everyone else's way, and she was careful to not collide with anything. But of course, she found that doing all of these things were quite simple for her, and avoidance was almost like a second nature.-

Of course, a symptom of her training with Temari.

She took a breath. She had been right that day, their sessions were infrequent and irregular. They were always prone to being interrupted by something else, by Shikadai, by clan duties, sometimes by other ninja. Sometimes, Temari would find herself too sick or tired to give Mirai the extra time that she needed, and so they had to reschedule. But on the times that she did get a chance to train Mirai, the sessions were fantastic.

Mirai was a fast learning. Shikamaru was always bragging about it, and the special talent that Temari had observed that day with the cookies had proved it. She understood concepts almost as quickly as Temari introduced them. Her body was capable of being just as agile as the aging Temari's, and her reaction times were perfect. Her hand seals came quickly, and her grace was a thing of beauty. Eventually Temari found herself comfortable enough to even spar with her on occasion, with the knowledge that she wouldn't be hurt by the actions. And while at first Temari would nearly curb stomp the girl, as the years passed, she became better and better. Never quite beating her master (of course, Temari wouldn't ever have that), but still giving her a run for her money. A great thing to be capable of as a young shinobi. To make a Jonin have to actually try to beat you.

And the techniques she was taught became even more valuable in the war that she fought in.

Her team clearly enjoyed it. Her extra training began to give her the edge over her already skilled comrades. They soon gained a 97% mission success rate, bringing them lots of money and village fame, but also a level of dread from Sunagakure. While not on the same level as any of their counterparts, the then-Chuunin team still had a healthy reputation amongst the sand shinobi. Some younger teams would even run away upon seeing them. And their mission success rate continued to stay constant…

But of course, every good streak must come to an end. And in the 6th year of the war, when Mirai was barely 16 years old, she found herself regretting her squad's newfound fame.

Regretting it greatly, as a mission went wrong, with bad statistics leading up to a great misstep, ending with them being forced onto their knees in the middle of a desert. Leading to them nearly bleeding out in the middle of a desert.

Leading to them being cornered by the Kazekage himself in the middle of a desert.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Lift your head up, shinobi. Face the Kazekage. Die with a little bit of honour."_

_ Mirai didn't do was she was told. The blue puppet strings around her body prevented her from doing what she wanted to do, get up, get her teammates, and run. Her teammates, who stood behind her now, also on their knees, also restricted by some aggressive puppet strings. Genzai with his glasses broken on the sand in front of him, a trickle of blood coming out from the side of his mouth. Kako with his hair frayed out in front of his face, and his fists red with anger._

_ "Let us go!" He yelled. "You damn Sand Ninja are always talking big about how ruthless you are, and yet we're at your mercy now instead of dead!"_

_Even in the position he was in, Mirai noted that his temper and loud mouth hadn't gone away. He was still as uncontrollable as ever. Even as he watched, and Mirai watched to her dismay, as the hulking, black clothed figure slowly made his way over to him, lifting the leg, and kicking the boy so that instead of kneeling, he was now laying on the hot sand beneath him. _

_ The hulking figure better known as Kankuro. Of course, by now __**everyone **__knew his name. Infamous and Famous._

_ It wasn't just one kick. Instead, the man continued to kick the teenager, slowly, over and over again. Each kick being punctuated by a welp or a scream from the prisoner on the ground. Each scream being punctuated by Genzai's face tensing, his teeth clenching, his heart wrenching._

_ Mirai saw her friend in peril and began to try and fiddle more with her bindings. They were made out of pure chakra, but Shikamaru had taught her earlier a technique that could supress such things. Turning away from her front and instead turning her head to look towards one of her friends, she began to concentrate the chakra that she had left into her palm. Her breathing evened out, her eyes narrowed, and after a moment, she began to feel her bindings fade. She grit her teeth, and continued her control-._

_ "Ahem."_

_ Mirai's tanned face flushed cold, and she felt a sick feeling come to her stomach when her chin was forcibly pulled back towards her front with an oddly soft hand. Her eyes looked up… _

_ Into the eyes of the 5__th__ Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand._

_ His face was something to be studied. If Mirai wasn't in absolute danger at the moment, she would've have spent more time in it, just trying to understand what it all meant. The pale green, similar to his sister's dark green eyes. His rather blank, serious face, the face that was boring towards the girl now. The eerily neat red hair that sat on his head, the black around his eyes, the absence of eyebrows. They all came together to complete the face of the 5__th__ Kazekage. The man who was ruler of the desert. The man, who they had fought against, and now would pay the price for. The man who was responsible for so much death, so much loss… _

_ The man who would likely now bring such loss to her mother. To Shikamaru. To Temari._

_ Before Mirai could think of anything else, his voice entered the fray. His strangely monotone, practiced tone of ease._

_ "… You were a talented group of Shinobi…"_

_ His voice oddly radiated with a sound of respect. Mirai could no longer hear Kako's screams, and so simply assumed that Kankuro had stopped his torture of the man. Genzai tried his best to see the Kage who stood in front of Mirai. _

_ There was a pause. Mirai didn't know how to respond to the compliment at all, and instead simply continued to stare at the Kazekage. Eventually he continued, his voice being more authoritative and in command now._

_ "…Who taught you your Wind Jutsu?"_

_ …Oh great._

_ This was the very thing that Shikamaru had warned about, and of course it came true. Mirai could lie, Mirai would lie, but there was a chance that they would detect it, there was an almost certain chance that they would detect it. But she had to try. Even with a lie on her tongue, it would be a better way to die than revealing the identity of a master who didn't want to be named._

_ "No one. I taught myself."_

_ She began to hear footsteps in the sand. Gaara wasn't the one moving. Soon, Kankuro came into her view as well. The demon from hell, the purple faced monster. Gaara narrowed his eyes at her, causing Mirai to feel heat come to her head, and sighed._

_ "I can tell that you're lying. Tell me the truth. Who taught you?"_

_ Mirai shook her head immediately. She would sell this lie the best that she could. The absolute best._

_ "…I'm self-taught-."_

_ "Stop lying to us." The growling voice that Kankuro possessed radiated out through his teeth, and hit her like his kicks had hit Kako. There was another pause, and the man continued, nearly growling now._

_ "We can make this much worse than it already is for you. Tell the truth, and you and your squad will be given a quick death." _

_ No. This was the lie that she'd bring to her grave. Her comrades… they knew. They knew the risks, they knew the aversions. Why she was lying. They knew why she had to do this. And she assumed, no, they __**had **__to understand. It… they…_

_ "…I don't have a master."_

_ The final lie. Moments passed before words entered once again._

_ "…How old are you… girl?"_

_ "…Sixteen."_

_ The Kazekage raised his brows slowly, and the next thing that Mirai knew, she could feel, see, and hear nothing._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

The moment that Mirai came across the Nara residence, she knocked on the front door with a great ferocity.

Her pounds were loud and heavy. Her pants from her sprinting were just as loud. She waited for a few moments, catching her breath, kneeling over. There was no answer.

"…Shikamaru-sensei?" She called. Her voice wasn't too loud, she didn't' want to disturb the other residences within the Nara clan lands. But she wanted to be, no, she needed to be heard. Shikamaru needed to talk to someone.

Without an answer, she found herself banging on the door again. There was no answer.

If Shikamaru wasn't here… then where could he have been? At the Hokage's office, he had always been previously present when others had turned in their jobs. Always. Was he walking around Konohagakure?

"Shikamaru-Sensei?"

No, he couldn't have been. He had to be here. If he was anywhere in the middle of the day, a week after his wife had died, then it had to be here.

"Shikamaru-Sensei!"

She knocked on the door even harder now. She waited a few moments, and then began to pound on the door again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"…We're ending the training. __**Now."**_

_Mirai had a feeling that she was going to regret telling Temari about her encounter with her brothers. _

_ "No, wait! I don't want it to end-."_

_ "It's ending. Shikamaru was right. It's too dangerous."_

_ Temari rose from her position on the back porch of her home, and then moved to walk inside her home. Before she could open the door however, Mirai had phased herself in front of her and the door, effectively blocking her. Once again showcasing her misuse of her gifts._

_ Temari sighed when she did so. _

_ "Mirai, you were almost __**killed."**_

_ "I'm still alive, am I?"_

_ "That's not the point."_

_ "Temari-sensei-."_

_ "No, don't call me that anymore. I'm not your sensei anymore. I have nothing left to teach you_ -."

_"Please there's so much we haven't talked about yet-."_

_ "__**I said no!"**_

_The door behind Mirai opened unexpectedly. There was a yawn, and then Mirai turned herself around to see that it had been Shikadai who had opened the door behind her._

_ "…Mummy… so much yelling… it's troublesome…"_

_ Temari's face instantly took on a softer look once Shikadai had entered the area. In his little green onside, his clan's symbol stitched to the back. Holding his stuffed deer companion "Ronno". Making a little pout. _

_ Mirai took a step away from the door, so that Temari could move in. She picked up her child out of instinct, and cradled him in her arms, making sure to also pick up his animal companion. The boy looked around until he noticed Mirai, and then lifted a hand._

_ "Hi… big sister Mirai!"_

_ Mirai smiled at the boy, and then gave him a little wave as well._

_ "Heya… Bambi."_

_ Shikadai sneezed, and Temari cuddled with him a bit more, trying to make sure that he was comfortable._

_ "Are you ok?" She asked. "Just sleepy?"_

_ "Yeah. I was havin' my nap."_

_ Shikadai then lifted up the stuffed animal in his hand._

_ "Ronno woke up too."_

_ Temari found herself smiling, and then began to walk inside, heading towards Shikadai's room._

_ "That's not good. We don't want to disturb your buddy, do we?"_

_ "He needs to sleep too. Yeah." _

_ "Tell Ronno I'm sorry…."_

_ Mirai continued to wait outside. A long while passed before Temari reappeared, Shikadai having been put to bed, and her stern face returning. She took a deep breath, and then continued their conversation from earlier._

_ "…Why do you want me to train you so damn much anyways?" She asked. She leaned herself back against the back of her home, and closed her eyes._

_ "…Listen… there's being dedicated and then there's being stupid. The more I teach you, the more you're in danger."_

_ Mirai paused._

_ "… Either way, no matter what I do, I'm going to be in danger every day. Every day I might die out there. Every day I might… come on. You know this! I just…"_

_ "Just-."_

_ "No, listen… the more you train me, the better I become. I mean… Shikamaru's an excellent teacher. But he's not a wind user. He can't help me with that, and that's a big part of me. __**You **__can. And… with every lesson, I'm getting stronger. Eventually I'm going to be strong enough to-."_

_ "Fine."_

_ Mirai looked up at Temari to see that she was getting somewhat tired by this conversation. To be fair, it was late in the afternoon. Maybe she was finally inheriting something from her newfound clan._

_ Temari took a breath, and then moved to go inside her home. Before she did, she found herself stopping at the frame of the door. _

_ "…Don't make me regret it. It's not… this wasn't your fault but… just don't die out there. We…we'd miss you."_

_ Mirai nodded slowly, and Temari disappeared into her home._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"Shikamaru-Sensei!"

Another torrent of knocks. This had been the seventh time. And it was getting apparent that he wasn't there.

Mirai took a deep breath after doing that. She took a step away from the door. She wouldn't go inside, if Shikamaru was truly in there, then there was most likely a good reason why he was alone.

But she needed to get inside. She'd seen Shikamaru upset before, and if Temari was truly go-

_Gone._

She suddenly fell against the frame of the door. She was gone. It had taken so long for her to acknowledge it, but it was coming back to her like a torrent now.

_No._

She had to stay strong. At the very least, for Shikamaru's sake. It wasn't her who was going through the worst of it. It wasn't her who was alone now. It was Shikamaru. Shikamaru was alone.

She took a deep breath, and gave the door a few more knocks. If he wasn't there, then it was about time that she left.

But before she would leave, she'd make her intentions clear.

"Shikamaru-sensei…. I know what happened. You _have _to talk to someone about this. Don't… don't lock yourself away. That'll… you'll just end up hurting yourself more than you're already hurting. I…. that's all I can say about it. I'll…. I'll see you tomorrow. Ok? Tomorrow."

She took a breath, sucked in her emotions, buried her tears, and then turned herself around to leave. Clutching a bit of air in her palm, and taking it home with her.

_…Temari-Sensei… why'd they have to take you too?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When the knocks and the words stopped, Shikamaru Nara raised his head from the brim of his bathtub.

Leaning himself back against the wall, he opened his lighter, and then lit himself another cigarette. He threw his spent one to the ground of the washroom, it joining the 10s of others.

He took a deep drag, and then tapped out the excess ashes on the side, some of it falling into the water he was submerged in.

And then he closed his eyes, and relaxed himself, allowing himself to get lost in the smoke…

_"You should really stop smoking-."_

_ "Troublesome woman. I've been working all week. Just let me have some fun, will ya?"_

_ "It's like I always say. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. In this case, a lung. Besides… aren't I enough fun for you?"_

_ "Hmm…. Tempting…. But no. Not enough."_

_ "Asshole."_

Shikamaru slowly gripped his fists, and clenched his teeth.

_"Why thank you, sweetie."_

He let his cigarette drop to the bathroom floor, still lit…

And he covered his eyes with his hands, and his plentiful tears returned.

"…I'm sorry, Temari…" he whimpered through his tears. "I'm sorry…"

_This chapter was a bit heavy, but not too much. Also, I sort of rushed it because I really wanted to get it out for you guys in time (busy weeks, I'm sorry). I'll likely revise it later. My primary goal was to introduce Mirai to the story, since I know that she's an important character in Shikamaru's life. So… yeah. I hope you enjoyed, and I'm going to try and get the next chapter out as soon as possible so we can get out of this really depressing arc. Remember to R&amp;R. I read your reviews!_


	20. Sepulture

_AN: Alright guys, time for another chapter. I really, really just want to get past this part in the story, since I have so much other ideas that I want to write about. Which is why this chapter came out so soon. Anyways, I hope you guys like reading it. It'll get better soon I promise ._

_Once again, I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters in this Fanfiction._

All throughout the funeral, Shikadai wanted his father to speak. To tell him anything. To _say _anything. To let him know that it was going to be ok, to let him know what he was going to do, what was going to happen to them, what was going to happen to anyone, or anything. To give him advice, to tell him what to do. To… he would have even liked for him to complain, to moan, to make any indication that he was still _there. _That at the very least, the boy still had his _father._

But, even as they stood now in front of Temari Nara's grave, Shikamaru's lips had never parted. And the silence that he brought his son was unbearable to accept.

Shikadai slowly noticed that he was slouching, and quickly stood himself up stronger, trying his best to at least seem presentable. It was the only thing he could really do, as he stood in front of the plaque in front of the two of them, looking down at the inscription. _Temari Nara, Forever Loved and Dearly Missed. _There wasn't a more understated declaration in the world. His father must have known this, as Shikadai hadn't seen him take his eyes off the inscription since it had been placed here, in the spot where some of her ashes had been spread, much earlier in the ceremony.

It had been a bit over a week since his mother had died, and three hours since the funeral had started. In the morning, Shikamaru had met Shikadai in their kitchen, and had walked with him to the place where the funeral was held. After an hour wait there, where everyone who had been invited had arrived, the group of people had moved into the cemetery, where most of Temari's ashes had been spread in her plot, and then her gravestone had been placed-.

Suddenly, the boy felt something fall onto his head through his hair. His eyes looked up into the dark, cloudy sky to see that it was beginning to rain. He slowly brought his small hands into fists, and then looked down again. It was noon now, and yet the sky was still dark, as if it was earlier in the morning, from the clouds that decided to linger in the sky. The wind gave a cold, harsh breeze, and the air was dry and thirsty. As if Shikadai wasn't uncomfortable enough, he knew that he and his father were standing in front of at least three rows of Shinobi, and their eyes were likely on his back. They were the people that Shikamaru had let be here, people who knew his mother when she was alive, and wanted to show up for the day when she was to be put to rest. All adults, Shikadai was the only child there.

Of course. The only reason why his father would have even wanted him to be here was because it was his mother's funeral.

The rain continued to get harsher, and Shikadai soon began to long for an umbrella, a piece of paper, something to cover his head. The emotions that were running through his body from his mother, the atmosphere, the silence, and the visions that came through his eyes were making the rain feel less like a natural. peaceful occurrence, and more like an oppressive reminder of the day that he was currently living through. Of the life that he was part of now.

Of his father's silence.

Shikadai turned his head away from his mother's resting place, and then looked up at his father for the millionth time in the day. He had gotten enough of a look at him throughout the day, but he kept doing so anyways, hoping to see some sort of change. But his expression had stayed consistent throughout the day. Throughout the week. Since the day he had seen his father struggle to even drink his morning tea, and come up with anything to tell his son. Through the days that he had seen his father simply lying around the house, a deathly look upon his features, or when he had noticed his father leaving rooms when he walked in, seemingly trying to do anything to avoid his own son. Or the times when he hadn't seen his father around the house at all, perhaps finally finding him feeding the deer in the woods, or returning hours later, his eyes red, and the smell of smoke heavy on his body. It was the same, damn, dead expression. The same dark and hopeless eyes. The same slight slouch, the same pale looking skin. The exact replica.

And it didn't take any piece of his brilliant mind for Shikadai to realise that that wasn't going to change. That his father may have just stayed like that, even now as the grave of his dead wife stood in front of him, and the rain began to dampen his features.

Shikadai's eyes closed, and he looked away from his father once again. It wasn't supposed to be like this, not in the slightest. When… when his mother was around, things had been much better. She yelled, she was bossy, quite _troublesome _to the both of them, but she was caring, she was cruel with a purpose, she was a leader. She'd organize nights where the three would come together and play shogi. She would take Shikadai out with his father to feed the deer. She would do sweet, little things such as pack an extra treat in on the days that Shikadai had a test. She'd stay up late, and Shikadai would watch from the shadows as she'd spend her late nights cleaning, preparing for the next day, and on odd nights, nurse her ailing husband back to health. She'd complain about the laziness of the men in her life, but then she'd slowly accept it as part of each of their natures.

She… she believed that her son could do whatever he wanted, if he wanted to. She'd encourage him to try his best at school, she'd push him to become his best. She'd occasionally help him with questions that even a young Nara wouldn't understand, she'd support him with his friends. She… she'd show her love towards her boy in a million and one days. Her own, special ways.

And now she was gone. And her love was gone as well.

Shikadai slowly began to feel the water from the sky come down onto him harder, all while the sorrow in his soul began to seep out through his eyes. The rain had finally pushed something that had been there since the beginning of the funeral. He couldn't show it much on the outside, at least not so that whoever was behind him would see. The Hokage was there, and so was Konohagakure's First Lady. Everyone in attendance was Jonin rank or higher. It would be embarrassing. He'd be disgracing the Nara name-.

Another piece of the sky landed on his right cheek, and by reflex he turned his eyes to look up at his father once again. The father whom hadn't done anything during the week since his wife had died. The father whom barely spoke at all.

Shikadai made a soft sobbing sound, and then shut his eyes, gritting his teeth. _Fuck _the Nara name.

He began to shake with multiple emotions breaking him up inside, trying to find all of them and suppress them. His eyes only seeing the blackness of the void, he began to explore his emotions, and tried to find a way for them to all coexist. His anger. Towards his father, for being such… for being a complete _coward_. The Kazekage had come and murdered his own _damn_ wife, and he had spent the week doing absolutely _nothing _about it, while ignoring his son and avoiding the rest of the village at all costs. Anger at the Kazekage. For killing his mother for no reason, even though she had no relevance in the war, just to cause his father and himself more grief and strife. Towards his own Hokage. For _**lying **_to him. Telling him that he was going to be just fine, when he could have even known all that time that his mother was on her way to Heaven. Towards the sky, for bringing this emotion back to his forefront, and causing his face to turn red and his body to tense to dramatically…

But he also shook with grief.

His mother was gone, and there was no getting her back. There was no way to revive her, no way to have her come back into his life other than a memory. No more of her harsh yet effective words, no more of her doting and no more of her care. No more of her food, no more of her love. No more of her hugs, no more of her kisses. She was gone, and soon it might begin to seem that she was never there. That Shikadai… never had a mother in the first place…

And then he finally found his final emotion; fear.

He had no idea what was going to happen to him now. His own household had been attacked, meaning that home was no longer safe for him. His father was a hollow husk of himself, and he could likely do nothing to protect Shikadai, let alone the rest of their clan and the village. If not even the Hokage could keep his people safe, then what did that mean? Did this mean that they were going to lose the war? And if so, then what did this mean? What would happen? Would his father be killed? What would happen to the son of the Great Stag of Konoha? What would happen to his _friends?_ What was going to happen to _anyone?_

_ What was going to happen?_

…They were all going to die.

By now, his shaking had gotten even worse. By now, the boy was certain that someone behind him was noticing this, but at this point he didn't care. He was going to die, and it didn't matter if he ruined the Nara name, now. If his mother was dead, her being the strongest person he had ever met, then there was no doubt that his father could die. That the Hokage could die. That everyone could die, and the Hidden Sand Village would reign supreme. There was no point in upholding standards if those standards were going to prove useless in a few weeks, a few days, perhaps a few hours.

And by now, Shikadai's tears were dripping off his chin. He was giving out silent, soft sobs, as his racked over a million thoughts at the same time. He… he could get like this. He wanted his mother back. He wanted his life to be normal again. He wanted to be safe again. He wanted the village to be safe again. He wanted everything to turn out fine. He wanted the hero to defeat the villain, as he had seen to many times in the books he had read, or the shows that he had watched. But it was becoming more and more evident, there was no happy ending to this story, to his life. He was going to die. Everyone he loved was going to die. And his mother… his mother had… his mother-

Suddenly, the boy felt a hand come upon his shoulder. Through wet eyes, he looked up…

His father's eyes were finally showing an emotion other than his state of death.

Shikadai suddenly felt much smaller than he had already felt. His father's black eyes began to slowly roam over his son's teary eyes, his wet face, and the multitude of emotions in his eyes. His shaking, and the hopeless look in his eyes. Shikadai simply watched his father, the tears from his eyes continuing to let his emotions flow out through his fluids. Until he heard a voice he had seldom heard once again.

"…Shikadai… please… don't… don't cry."

And at that, Shikadai leaned himself closely against his father's leg, nearly collapsing. His back still facing the group of shinobi behind him, his tears now flowing into his father's pants. He couldn't' care about how he seemed now. He didn't care. He couldn't care.

And after moments, he began to feel his father begin to tap his shoulder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru didn't know how to comfort his son, not at this time, not while he was under his own distress.

He had a good idea of why his son was crying like this, and why his son had suddenly became so weak and emotional. He hadn't really seen the boy over the past week, and every time his son had gotten close to him, he had rushed away. And yet, he could tell that his son was going through a lot of the same things that Shikamaru himself was now going through. After all, they were father and son, and Temari had been their wife and mother respectively. These emotions were normal, these emotions were expected. And under these circumstances, with her having been stolen from them at an early year, Shikamaru was lucky that Shikadai wasn't crying loudly, completely losing control. But there was something that was different between Shikadai and Shikamaru. Shikadai had lost his mother…

But Shikamaru had lost his soul.

He began to rub his son's shoulder as opposed to tap it, and steadily realised that he was going to be no good at this. He couldn't comfort his son while his own emotions were threatening to have him kill himself on the spot. Kill himself… because in his eyes, there was nothing left for him on this world. He had failed. For the millionth time in his life, he had failed. His so called "brilliant" mind clearly wasn't brilliant enough to protect his own wife from being murdered in their own home. His "Brilliant" Mind clearly wasn't brilliant enough to prevent his wife's death from being a slow, painful fade, as opposed to a quick death, the death that she would have preferred. That, if she had to die, she would have _wanted. _His _brilliant_ mind hadn't done _anything_ to help her over the past Ten years. She had sacrificed so much… just for his _brilliant _mind to fail to protect her when she needed him the most.

And how was he to complete their dream now? With the knowledge that her own fucking brothers were so dedicated to their cause, to their reasons and to their rationale, that they would willingly murder their own sister. Whom hadn't been a combatant for a good solid decade, and who had a _child _of her own.

How would one save someone how had fallen for the _**second **_time?

After a few while, Shikamaru began to feel a few tears come up on his eyes. Before he could allow himself to cry, he turned himself to Temari's grave once again. Looking upon it's inscription, it's design. The flowers that had been laid on it, his own flowers being the greatest, grandest pair. Because that's what Temari had been. The greatest, grandest wind. The force that had pushed him to go to great heights. The energy that had saved his life a million times, only for him to fail to save her when she needed him the most. His soulmate. His forever love.

Now at rest. Now dead.

Leaving her family with no direction at all, the knowledge of what needed to be done, but not the knowledge of _how _to do it.

…Except the knowledge that something needed to be done. And that the war needed to end with Konohagakure's victory.

…And Gaara and Kankuro needed to pay for what they had done to his village. To his son. To _**him.**_

_** …But how would they pay? And what could he do? To the brothers of his wife?**_

In his flak jacket pocket, Shikamaru held the rest of Temari's ashes, placed carefully in a glass vial, which was wrapped in a beautiful handkerchief. He knew where her village was, and he knew here the cemetery of that village was. Through the tears that threatened to overtake him, Shikamaru knew that there was another thing that was true. One day, he would spread the rest of her ashes, and give her a proper funeral in her homeland. He would finish her burial, when he had finished the war…

However he would finish it.

And soon, the rain began to intensify. Far away, he could hear a crash of thunder, and the wind began to pick up. It was nowhere near warm enough for there to be a tornado, so instead of moving, he simply stood there. Stood in front of her grave, because neither he nor Shikadai could move. Stood in front of the rows of his comrades and friends who had attended Temari's funeral.

Choji Akimichi. The man he hadn't spoken to in over a week, all of his advances being ignored and avoided.

Ino Yamanaka. She always pre-cut a bouquet of reddish-yellow roses for their anniversary, and never charged him for a gift that she knew was for his wife.

Kiba Inuzuka. Always in the background, pushing Temari forwards with taunts that if she didn't keep herself in check, her son would grow up and never be a great Shinobi.

Shino Aburame. Their son's teacher, and a frequent target for Temari, always asking to see how her son was progressing.

Rock Lee. A promise was made that Temari would eventually get around to fighting him once the war was done, just to make sure that her skills hadn't been damped by ten years of motherhood.

Tenten. Occasionally, Temari would appear at her shop to check out the stocks and/or rent items to train Mirai with, always grimacing in pain that her business of selling death-dealing equipment was receiving great money, and good business on a regular.

Sai Yamanaka. At first being awkward and hard to get along with, the two eventually bonded over the years, only for it to end in death.

Karui Akimichi. Another foreign kunoichi who had fallen in love with a ninja from Konohagakure, their days had been spent with friendly rivalries, and each of them sharing guides on how to survive in Konoha as newcomers.

Kurenai Yuhi. Despite the age difference, she had great advice on how to raise a child, and not to mention how to still be productive despite being saddled with one.

Mirai Sarutobi. Like a second child to her, Shikamaru's student, _her _student, the talented young kunoichi with a bright future in front of her.

…Kakashi Hatake. The previous Hokage, whose early successes in the war had been helped with Shikamaru's counsel… and Temari's.

Hinata Hyuuga. The two had gradually hung out together over the years, and each of them had learned something new about themselves through their rather opposite personalities…

…Naruto Uzumaki. The man who had shared her conviction that her brothers could still be saved. The man who had changed Gaara once. The man whom she had, along with Shikamaru, placed all of her bets on.

She possibly should have cashed her cheques before she had died.

And as the two Nara men stood there in front of their comrades, the day went on. Minutes turned to tens of minutes. Which turned to hours. Which led to the crowd behind them dissipating slowly. Yet, nothing between the two males changed. Shikadai continued to lean on his father's pants, and Shikamaru continued to stand up strong, giving out a great show of strength, even as his eyes still watered hours after their mutual revelation. He was in no rush to go anywhere. Naruto had told him to take as much time as he needed off, and he was planning on using at least a month to rest. To think. To find out something. To understand anything of what-

"…Shikamaru. We need to talk to you."

Shikamaru took a breath. Slowly, he raised his head from the grave stone in front of him, and looked into the sky. He could recognize that voice anywhere. It was a voice he had been hearing since he was a young boy, younger than even Shikadai.

"…Choji…Ino…"

His voice was still weak and pathetic, but at least he could form full, proper words now. He didn't' need to hear her voice to know that she was there too. He didn't' need, nor did he want to turn around. He could feel their chakra, it was just the two of them now, now many hours later. He didn't want either of them to see his tears, either. It was best that he stood still, and simply got what they wanted from him.

Moments passed, and then Shikamaru took a soft breath. Thinking of his own teammates, no, _friends, _as his enemies. In hostile terms. No… he hadn't spoken to either of them in longer than a week, at least not directly. If his son wasn't standing next to him, if he wasn't crying, he would have at least turned around.

But he was still crying.

"…What's… what's going on?"

He could feel one of them shuffle, and the other sigh. Choji spoke in his deep voice.

"…What do you want us to do?"

_"So when are we gonna do it!?"_

_ …Right._

Shikamaru didn't need to think this through, and because of that reason…

"…I don't know…"

He could hear some shuffling, before Ino's voice came into the fray as well.

"Shikamaru-."

_"We're gonna do it, right?!"_

"**I said I don't know!" **

With the end of his voice's sudden rise, Shikamaru felt an instant sting of regret. They were his friends, not his _enemies. _They were just trying to help… in their own way.

In the way they had helped him before.

"…I'm… sorry…."

The rain was still falling upon his head. It was no doubt doing the same on Shikadai's head, as well. The boy could catch a cold, Shikamaru told himself. That was his excuse, his excuse to not speak with his friends. He needed to bring him home. Standing in front of Temari's grace was never going to bring her back. Not in a million years.

He patted his son on his back, and then he began to slowly guide him away from Temari's grave, his back still towards the rest of his formation. They walked past the rest of the graves in their clan's plot, and continued forwards, until they were in the Sarutobi plot-.

"Shikamaru!"

He didn't stop. If he stopped, then Choji would be able to talk to him. Then Ino would be able to talk to him. To be able to twist his mind, to be able to make him think something that wasn't true. To make him think that the events of that day had happened differently. To make him do something. To get him to open up.

What good would that do?

He continued to walk.

"…Shikamaru just…."

The rain continued to fall on his head, and he heard another clap of thunder come across the sky.

"…Don't lock yourself away, buddy. Please…"

Shikamaru noticed that the cemetery was only getting more and more fuller each year.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The moment the two had walked through the front door of the home that they now shared alone, Shikadai broke free of his father's grasp.

It was… this was… it was becoming unbearable. The inaction was too much for him.

"…Dad… what are going to _**do?!**_"

And then the face returned. Shikamaru's face of gloom. Of death and the acceptance of it. Of confusion and the upset stage that it left one in. Of indecision. Of fear. Of regret...

Things that Shikadai didn't need to see on his father's face. Not now. Out of all of the times, when he needed the reassurance that **something **was going to happen, even after his father had turned down the option of action from his friends.

And then, Shikamaru took a deep breath, shutting the door behind him slowly.

"…Shikadai… go to your room…"

And thus Shikadai had finally cemented his vision of his father within his head.

The vision of the man who would just let things happen without any proper retaliation.

And as he wiped the tears off his face on the way to his room, he knew one thing was for sure.

If his father would do nothing of his mother's **murder**, then he at least _**would.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"'Haven't seen you for a week. Thought we were going to get this show on a road about a week ago. What was the hold u-."

"Shut the **fuck **up."

With Ino's killer tongue slapping him back, Kankuro leaned away from the bars of his cell where he had been waiting for her. He had had a feeling as he had been sleeping, his dreams threatening to be plagued by uncomfortable feelings if he didn't distract himself with such trivial things, that Ino would reappear today. And by taking space at the front of the cell as opposed to the back, he would give a good message of who was the dominant one. Despite his status behind bars.

Despite this attempted façade, he would allow Ino to pace back and forth in front of his cell. He would allow her to spit onto the floor once. He would allow her to finally calm herself down, well, at least as calm as Ino Yamanaka got, and then come closer to the bars, to make sure that Kankuro could hear her words clearly.

"…I was busy. And I was the one who was put in charge of interrogating you. I wasn't going to let some rookie take over, smash your head into pieces so that we could get no information out of it."

Kankuro smirked.

"You act as if you'll get any information out of me, anyways. I don't care what clan techniques you may or may not have. I've been thinking… the truth is, my mind is messed up. You can have fun trying to navigate through it's mazes and mismatched information. While I patiently wait here until I find a way to escape."

Ino looked bored. Kankuro wouldn't have that. At the very least, despite him having no chakra, no weapons and only one leg, he would make her feel that he was superior here.

"And what exactly where you out doing, anyways? Partying? Getting drunk? Oh Ino… don't you know you'll never get your youth ba-."

"It was Temari's funeral today."

And suddenly, Kankuro's grip on his bars began to loosen, and the feeling that he had tried to hide behind his cockiness and swagger began to drain the colour on his face.

"…Bastard waited a we-."

"I don't have time for this. Tomorrow it begins. For sure."

And as last time, as Ino walked out of Kankuro's cell comfortably, Kankuro began to languish in his actions by himself.

_AN: Sorry, I'm finishing this up really, really early in the morning again. The latter parts I'm rushing with, but I plan on eventually coming back and fixing this. Next chapter's going to have a __**heavy **__Shikadai focus, and a fair amount of Kankuro focus. It'll also feature both of the surviving Jonin-Sensei (So Kurenai and Kakashi), more of Shikamaru, and some actual plot progression. I'll try to at least get half of this new chapter done by the end of this week, and then publish it by the end of his this week. But we'll see. Thanks for reading, and remember to R and R if you can. I do read your reviews!_


	21. Action

_AN: Finally, time for some plot progression. Like I mentioned before, this pair of chapters will focus primarily on Shikadai, Shikamaru, and Kankuro, so if you're a fan of those characters you should be pleased. Anyways, let's get started. Thanks a lot for reading so far._

_Sorry for how long it took to get his chapter out too. I was just really, really busy with school. But at least this one's really long, right? Like, this is actually the longest chapter yet.  
_

_Once again, I Do Not Own Naruto nor any of the characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto._

Shikadai Nara was skipping school.

It wasn't a common occurrence. Of course, in the days before these ones, his parents had always made sure to stress the importance of Shikadai going to the academy. His mother would always bring up the fact that his father was a great Shinobi, and that Shikadai was supposed to follow in his footsteps. His father, on the other hand, used much of the same logic to justify this, also adding the fact that, whether he liked it or not, he was the heir to the Nara Clan, and so he had to be an adequate Ninja. Even he had given himself an excuse as to why he would go to school, rationalizing that at the very least it was a good place to nap. In the days before now, this was enough to at least keep Shikadai going to school

But now his mother was dead. His father might as well have been dying. And there was something more important that Shikadai had to do.

After another sleepless night, Shikadai had a good idea of what he could do to get back at the man who had murdered his mother. Or at the very least, take action against him, even if his father wouldn't do anything of the sort. Seeing his father take more than a week simply doing nothing to further anything, avoiding him, and being a mute had finally gotten to the boy. If his father would do nothing against the men who murdered his mother…

He'd have to do it himself.

He flipped a page from the book he had taken, from a series of others located on a bookshelf, and finally arrived on the page giving out information about Sunagakure's leadership. He took out his notepad from the knapsack that he was holding on his shoulder, and scanned the page for a few moments longer, before his eyes landed and settled on the picture on the top right of the Sand's Kazekage.

He paused for a few moments, before the boy took a deep breath, and simply spent a few moments looking over the pages in front of him. On the other page was a picture of Kankuro, the Kazekage's brother and his Second in Command. Underneath each of the brother's pictures, there were a list of stats, known abilities, and whatever mission history that the Leaf had collected. The book had little flaps at the bottom of their pages, and when Shikadai opened them, the flap revealed itself to be three times the length of the regular pages, filled with even more information on the two. Skimming over the extra parts of the page, he began to make two separate headings on his small notepad. One for Kankuro, and then he flipped the page twice, anticipating the length of his notes, and made another heading for the Kazekage. His eyes drifted quickly back to the open book in front of him, and he began to take in a bit of the information, but he would write nothing yet. Instead, he was just checking to see how recently updated the information was. He needed it as recent as the Hidden Leaf village could manage. Upon finding that it had been updated the month before, he took a breath, and then leaned back in stool for a moment.

This was really restricted stuff. He shouldn't have been there, and he knew it.

More specifically, he should have been at school. Looking up at the clock, he could see the hands rest on the numbers to signify 9am. By now, his teacher would have begun attendance, and most of his friends would have been present for it, the rest being either purposely or accidentally late. Then, they probably would have moved onto some more ninja theory, or perhaps did some training drills in the yard, if the theory wasn't too painstaking. After that, it would be lunch. After that, the rest of his regular school day. Instead today he had decided- no, found that he had needed to do this. That he had needed to sneak in Konohagakure's archives, a place that only the highest governmental officials were allowed into.

If he got caught, there would be consequences.

With this in mind, he took a look around the room that he was in one last time. He was situated behind a few bookshelves next to a window. The door where he had snuck in through (There was a shortage of guards today, it seemed) he had relocked once he had situated himself by his desk, and from where he sat, at the desk near the window, he could see the door by just turning his head to a side slightly. The stock of each bookshelf, all of them a great amount taller than him, was also a good barrier to avoid possible detection. All he had to do was to get the information he would need about both men, and then leave.

His eyes left the door, and returned to the twin pages in front of him. He could see the contents clearly, as the sun shone in through the cloudy sky behind him. Two pages. A whole lot of words. But he should have been able to do this. He'd read through more challenging things at school.

He started to write down the basics. Abilities, age, rank. Known weapons, detailed accounts of their appearances. The book was extremely detailed, but of course, it was in the archives. The primary source of information for the highest ranked Ninja in Konohagakure. Information here had to be detailed.

There wasn't a lot of time to muse on it, though. It was still early in the morning, but someone would likely come and check on the room soon. He couldn't be here when they did. And so, his writing got faster. He took down each detail that he thought that he would need, and before long he had a general idea of their abilities, their known strategies and their appearances. After doing this, he took a breath to sigh. They were obviously powerful ninja, but reading and making notes of their abilities had given him more of an eye opener.

He shivered, and then began to take one last look at the two pages. As his eyes drifted over each of their "Family" headings, he noticed something quite strange. There was their father, Rasa (The 4th Kazekage. Shikadai wondered if Sunagakure was a monarchy for a few moments, having two rulers from the same family back to back), their mother, Karura (Deceased. Shikadai had noted that she died when Kankuro was young, like him. It seemed like he wasn't unique in losing his mother), and then a blank space where a name could have been. And should have been, he noted, taking a finger and tracing the blank space, revealing that a whitening marker had been taken to it, conveniently getting rid of the space. He scratched his head at this, his mind taking a detour into curiosity, before he shrugged. Maybe someone had married out of their family, maybe it had been a family member that wasn't important. With this in mind, he idly flipped over to the next page….

To see that it had been vandalized.

The page after the page immediately after the other two's was covered up with a black permanent marker, but there were obviously still words underneath. Paragraphs full, as well as a portrait picture that was barely still viewable, the only things on the picture not covered by marker being the edges of the portrait, showing a reddish sky. The name of the vandalized person was the only thing completely covered, but a more interesting oddity that Shikadai had found was on the next page. A message scribbled out in large letters, taking up the entirety of the blank page…

_**For inquiry, see Shikamaru Nara.**_

Shikadai's eyes widened slowly. His father had something to do with the scribbled mess that was the other sheet of paper? How and why-.

"Well, good morning."

And nearly immediately, Shikadai dropped his pencil and closed the book he had been looking through as quickly as he had opened it. He didn't want to look up, but considering that he was already caught, he took a breath and then looked up towards the door that he had turned away from. And now, standing in the doorway, slowly closing it behind him before looking down at the boy in front of him again, was Kakashi Hatake.

The 6th Hokage.

_…Oh great._

Shikadai immediately pushed the book he had been taking notes from to the other side of the table, and then closed his notebook and began to put it into his backpack. Before he could do anything else, however, he could hear Kakashi slowly make his way towards him.

"Whoa. Okay… slow down. Stop what you're doing, please."

Shikadai lifted his head again to see that the former Hokage was now leaning against a bookshelf in front of him, looking down at him with tired and sleepy eyes. It was still early in the morning, after all, and he probably hadn't been expecting to see someone so young and lively in the archives. Especially someone who wasn't supposed to be there.

Shikadai still followed what he had said to do, and stopped his moments. Either way, he was in deep trouble. It was probably a good idea to not get himself in anymore.

After seeing that the boy had stopped, Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

"…Sigh… You're… Shikadai right? Shikamaru Nara's kid? Shouldn't you be at school…?"

Shikadai cringed. Kakashi had been at the funeral yesterday, of course he knew who he was. His father had been his advisor for half of the war, of course he knew who he was. And of course, Shikadai would never forget the signature appearance of his previous Hokage. Small, tired eyes. Most of his face covered by a navy blue mask. Spiky, snow-white hair. Casual attire, despite his rank.

He realised that time had passed, and then opened his mouth to answer the man standing in front of him.

"…Yeah…" he muttered. "You saw me yesterday at the funera-."

Suddenly, the words stopped flowing from the boy's mouth, and Shikadai fell silent again. He…. Didn't want to think about his mother's funeral again. His eyes left Kakashi's and went to the floor. After a few moments of silence, the voice of the former Kage came back to him.

"…I remember. I know…" There was another awkward silence.

"I'm sorry."

Shikadai could feel Kakashi's eyes look over him for a few moments, before the man noticed the book that he had been reading, and promptly changed the topic of the conversation. For both their sakes.

"… _A Complete Report of the Leadership of Sunagakure, 1__st__ to 10__th__ year of the Sunagakure-Konohagakure conflict,_" He read aloud. "Hm… are these the type of things that you kids read these days?"

Shikadai struggled to come up with a good answer.

"…I'm just… interested in Sunagakure…"

"Ah." He could hear more footsteps, and by the time he looked up he could see that Kakashi had walked over to the table he was sitting at, and was now sitting on the edge of it, his back facing the boy, but turning himself so that he could still keep an eye on him. Shikadai looked up at him, and watched as the now elderly man lifted the book he had been taking notes from up into his hands, and began to flip through it, before noticing that two of the extended flaps were still left open.

…_.Great. _Shikadai thought. Kakashi flipped to the two pages with the extended flaps, landing on the pages dealing with Kankuro and Gaara, and then took a deep breath.

"Kankuro and the Kazekage… Hm?" He muttered. "Our main adversaries in our war. Now… why would a boy such as yourself want to learn more about them...?" Shikadai stammered for a proper response.

"They're… interesting…"

"Mhm…" Kakashi's sarcastic tone revealed that he wasn't entirely pleased by his response. Shikadai gulped as Kakashi closed the flaps, and then turned to the vandalized page.

"I guess you've been able to figure out that it was your father who contributed most to this book," he mused. "Throughout all of his campaigns, all of his years, he's been compiling all of this information. Just for u- well, for _me. _And the rest of the _elite and Jonin _ninja of this village. So that we can better protect it."

Shikadai began to look around the room for an avenue of escape. He could already tell that Kakashi wasn't going to let him off easy for this. Child of Shikamaru or not, he was in a restricted area. There were going to be consequences. For what he needed to do, he couldn't afford the-.

The window. Of course.

The archives that he was in was at a height, but there was a tree right outside the window next to him. All Shikadai needed to do was to climb down it, and then make a rush for the city. If Kakashi followed him-

"…What's that in your bag, Shikadai?"

Shikadai grit his teeth, and his eyes left the window and went to his barely open knapsack. The only thing in it was the notebook that he had been taking notes with.

…_.Even better._

Shikadai had to think up another excuse.

"…Umm… it's a-."

"I saw you taking notes into it a bit earlier. I guess you're serious about getting information, aren't you?"

Shikadai nodded, and then his eyes glanced at the window next to him. There was a small hook next to where he was sitting, and a small opening to it, to let the air come through, from the way things looked, he could possibly fit through it-.

"Now, Shikadai. Tell me why you _really _wanted this information."

Shikadai couldn't think of a better excuse. His eyes drifted away from the avenue of his escape, and back towards the former Hokage, gulping.

"It's like I said. I'm just interest-."

"I know that the Kazekage killed your mother."

And with that, Shikadai could feel a vein pop in his head. His eyes slowly widened at the man whose eyes were now narrowing in front of him, and he slowly placed the book down on the desk beside him. Their eyes met for a few moments longer, before the 6th Hokage turned back around, and faced away from him. There was an audible sigh from him, and then Shikadai watched as his looked up at the ceiling.

"…Sasuke Uchiha told me where he found you. More importantly, _how _he found you. Leaning over your mother, trying to get her to wake up. It's…. not something that any child should have to witness. It's… becoming way too common in this day and age… But whatever you're planning… you're just too young and weak to do it. You have to leave matters like this to the adults."

Shikadai looked down and away from Kakashi. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps all he was really going to do was get himself killed. His entire plan, the one he had brainstormed anyways, was already going to put himself in mortal danger. Even if he was able to get other ninja to come with him, it would still be him against the 5th Kazekage-

He felt a breeze come in through the window, his eyes drifted there, and his eyes narrowed.

…He had already had one Hokage lie to him, his father was as good as dead, and most importantly, his mother deserved better than to just be another war casualty. The Kazekage _**pay. **_Shikadai would make him.

Kakashi took a breath when he heard no reply, and then turned his head slowly to look back at Shikadai once again.

"…Give me the bo-."

His eyes widened as he noticed that Shikadai was gone, along with the knapsack that he had carried. The window beside them was open.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For a few moments, Kakashi wondered how Shikadai would react if he knew that Gaara and Kankuro were his Uncles. After a few moments of realising how much more the boy would have been detached and unhinged, he silently thanked Temari for making the decision all those years ago to not tell him.

It had been seven years ago. The first thing that he had heard from Shikamaru, even before he had learned that he had a newborn son, was that no one was to tell Shikadai of his true, extended lineage. It was Temari's idea. Shikadai had the right to grow up without having to deal with the guilt, stress and embarrassment of knowing that his Uncle was the Kazekage, his other uncle was his second, and his mother was a traitor to her village, hiding and sleeping with the enemy. While some people, and most Ninja Jonin-rank or higher, knew who Temari Nara truly was, even the official records had been changed to reflect her wishes. The fact that the Sand Brothers had an older sister wasn't taught in schools, nor broadcasted in any official way. Shikamaru had personally vandalized her records to the point where none would be able to read them, and edited every other mention of her in the bingo books, any other archives, and even official records. Everything had been set up to ensure the new family's safety.

But now, what was the point? The secret was out. Gaara and Kankuro knew what Shikamaru had been doing with Temari all this time. The only person out of the loop was little Shikadai.

Kakashi sighed, and then stood off of the desk, and walked towards the window. It took him a while to find him again, but sure enough he soon was able to see a little black haired boy running down the village's streets, with a knapsack on his back. Had it been anyone else who had breached security, he would have run after them, but Shikadai was a child and Kakashi wasn't as young as he used to be. Whatever the boy was planning would fail, anyways. Shikamaru was his father. Kakashi knew the number to the Nara residence. One simple phone call would probably fix things.

He looked away from the window, and then looked back towards the phone that was next to the door where he had entered through. As he walked towards it, being careful not to knock anything over. As he did so, he began to brainstorm reasons as to truly why the boy would have even come here. He kept on repeating that he had taken a sudden interest towards the men who had killed his mother, but-.

He paused just before he had reached the phone. He had remembered a similar series of events from before. Boy loses family, loses faith and confidence in his village, and takes interest in the people who murdered his family-.

…It was Sasuke Uchiha's story. While Sasuke was a fine, respectable man now, when he was a boy, he had also lost his parents (his entire clan, in fact), and he had also started to take matters into his own ha-.

_...Life repeats itself._

He arrived at the phone, and then he quickly began to dial the number of the Nara Residence. At the very least, Shikadai had a father. He was sure that that moment Shikamaru found out about his son's plot, he'd be able to stop him, or at least try to put a stop to it. Shikamaru had seen Sasuke's fall first hand. He wouldn't let his own son become lost as well.

He dialed the number quickly, and then waited for a while. It connected him to their home, and then Kakashi was left there waiting for a few moments as it went through the busy tones. Finally, there was an answer. Their answering machine.

Featuring a voice that he knew he'd never hear again.

_"Hello. This is the Head Nara Residence. You're listening to Temari Nara. If you're hearing this, then neither I, nor Shikamaru are in right now. Please leave a message."_

Of course Shikamaru didn't pick up. Kakashi himself had been at the funeral, and had seen what a mess the man was in. Avoiding much of the talking, sticking to himself. The entire week after she had died where he had essentially fallen off the face of the planet. And now, it still being early in the morning, and Shikamaru still not answering.

Kakashi took a breath. The tone on the voice message beeped, signifying that he was allowed to leave a message.

"Shikamaru. This is Kakashi speaking. Just…Your son might be getting himself into a lot of trouble. I'll call back later, or maybe you can call me first."

Even if Shikamaru didn't call back, he'd probably figure out what his son was doing from his absence at the school, and from his reactions. At least, Kakashi hoped so. For now, he had other things to worry about.

There was still a long, harsh day in front of him. And in the evening, he had a dinner with the Uchiha Clan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Shikamaru heard his answering machine turn off, he lifted his head from the kitchen counter. It beeped to signify that it was off, and when it did, he closed his eyes, and returned his head to it's previous, low position. He hadn't bothered to leave his morning robe, he wasn't going anywhere today. He hadn't bothered with even basic cleanliness, his beard was getting long and shaggy, his face was crusty and his breath probably stank. And, he hadn't bothered to change the answering machine to anything that was recent or new. There was no point in changing it. Temari was gone, and her message on the answering machine was one of the final things that he had of her. The only way that he could hear her voice into the oblivion.

Shikadai had already left to go to school, and Shikamaru was partially happy for this development. At the very least, he wouldn't have to have his son watch him be like this for the entirety of the day. Or… at least until he had to cook. Or clean. Or try to find something to break the monotony of what his life was. What it was now.

What it was now… why was he even alive?

Ever since the moment Temari had breathed her last, he had been asking that question. Why. Why was let allowed to live and breathe, and she hadn't been. Why did his mother have to catch that sickness, and why didn't he fall to it? Why did his father have to die in that war, all those years ago, and why wasn't he the target?

…Why did Hidan kill Asuma, and not him?

All the answers he thought that he had, that were true, turned out to be bullshit. At first, he thought because he was just lucky. Some luck he had now though, stuck in an eternal war with a dead wife and a son that looks just like her. Then, he thought he was smart. Some mind he had, some strategy, not being able to make his home, no, his village safe enough for his wife to be immune to being harmed. Maybe… he was just special. But no… how could he be special when his wife was dead?

When they took _his _Temari away from him?

He didn't want to get up. He couldn't bear to go back to work, knowing that he had failed his clan, his family, himself, his village. To know that his so called impenetrable defence plan had been penetrated. To know that there was no real point in even fighting anymore. He wasn't a great strategist. He was an idiot. He let his wife _die._

As the thoughts went through Shikamaru's head, he longed to simply fall off the chair he was sitting on, and smash his skull onto the floor beside him. Ending it all. If his son wouldn't come home and see his father dead, he wouldn't have given it a second thought, and had simply made an action. All he knew is that he wanted out. He couldn't handle living on the earth without his wife, his partner, his best fri-.

There was a knock on the door.

Shikamaru's head slowly raised, until it was looking down his hallway, and towards the door that had been knocked on. The front door.

Shikamaru took a few breathes, before rolling his eyes. He wasn't going to open that door.

The knock happened once again, and he continued to ignore it. Maybe he really would do his plan of cracking his own skull, after all.

Another knock.

Either way, he figured, he was going to die. Either in his own home, all alone, or out on a battlefield…

More knocks, and now a voice entered the fray.

"…Shikamaru. I know you're in here."

Shikamaru took a deep breath, and then his face sunk more into the table in front of him, into a deeper, harsher scowl.

_Kurenai Yuhi. Or Sarutobi… or whatever._

Out of all the people… why did she come?

It had been a while since Shikamaru and her had even seen each other, yet alone spoken. He had been at the funeral, but Shikamaru hadn't spoken to anyone at the funeral, so he supposed it didn't count. In terms of actually talking, it had been… a month. A full month, and their last conversation had been about…. Produce… or something thing. An entire night slumped over a kitchen's counter would do that to your memory.

But still, he didn't want to talk to her. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He… wanted his wife back.

He slowly allowed himself to slip out of his chair, nearly falling onto the floor in the process, and he began to walk down the empty hallway, towards his deck…

Before stopping, and before he could open his back door, he paused again. The door behind him knocked.

"… You can't stay in here forever. I know you wish you could, but you can't. Please…. I want to help you."

Shikamaru slowly clenched his fists. If he went back out into his backyard, he'd be reminded of that fateful day. If he stayed in his home, he'd never leave, and he'd eventually die, most likely by killing himself. But… he didn't want to open the door. He didn't' want to face another person for the rest of his li-.

"Shikamaru-."

And suddenly, Shikamaru rushed towards his front door, and opened his door wide. He looked directly at Kurenai, noting her like green, off duty tracksuit, her red eyes, her long black hair, and then took a breath. She looked at him, looked over him, and then took a breath.

"…"

Nothing came out of his mouth. He didn't know what he was doing. He opened the door, despite not wanting anyone to speak to. He was up, he was still alive. His son… Kakashi had said his son was in trouble? It… it was morning. His son should have been in school, was his son trying to… what was-.

"Shikamaru… we need to talk."

More talking. Shikamaru didn't want to talk. He kept on repeating it in his head. He didn't want to really do anything. He just wanted to curl up into a ball somewhere, he never wanted to see anyone else ever agai-.

"Shikamaru-."

"Just….. just go… just go away…"

He turned to close the door, but before he could, Kurenai had placed a hand into the door preventing it from closing completely. Shikamaru grimaced, and then tried to push her hand out of the door, only for her to slip past him, and enter his home anyways. She slowly pushed the door behind her closed, and then Shikamaru took a few steps away from her.

_… Should've never answered the damn door._

He turned around, and began to slowly walk away from her. He didn't need to speak to anyone today. He didn't want to speak to anyone. He just wanted to be alon-.

Before he could turn down the hallway and back to the kitchen, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He didn't turn. He could still feel Kurenai's brows narrow, and her face turn harsh.

"… You can just run away from this. You can't just hide it all inside."

There was no answer from the man who stood in front of her. She would try again. Try until he finally came out.

"….What are you expecting to do anyway? Just sit here… just stay out of it? Do you think this is what Temari would have wanted? At all?"

There was still no answer. Shikamaru had become as still as a headstone, as quiet as a grave. Kurenai had to keep on trying.

"… You can't just hide here, hide away and hope that things get better. You have to-."

"_**I HAVE TO WHAT!?**_"

Kurenai jumped back on impulse. Her words had seemed to finally wake him up, but this wasn't the type of reaction that she wanted to hear. She could slowly see his hands tighten into fists, and back of his neck begin to redden. When he spoke next, his voice was a tortured, anguished thing.

It was unpleasant. But Kurenai wanted to help. She needed to help him.

"No no no! Tell me what the _**FUCK**_ I have to do now!? What _**else**_ do I have to do to make sure that everything I've worked for, everything I've put faith in and everything I've fought for for my _**entire **_life doesn't end up broken or dead!? What else do I have to _**fucking**_ do!?"

She could hear him hyperventilate between words. He began to shake in front of her.

"What- when what-when WHEN did this start!? I'm- WHEN!? HOW?! WHY?! I was sixteen when Asuma died! Just sixteen! All I did was follow his orders all I did was follow the goddam rules and he still ended up fucking dying, didn't he?! And all I did was follow the rules!"

Kurenai stayed silent, and closed her eyes at the memory of her departed husband. In front of her, Shikamaru began to shake his hands in front of him, his anger getting the best of him.

"And then who else d- OH right my own father! What did I do to deserve that?! What did my mother do, in fact?! To have to dear that her husband was blown to hell! Without any fucking chance to defend himself! To… I was fucking seventeen! I followed all of the rules I did everything he wanted me to do I did everything this cursed fucking world wanted me to do _**and he still ended up dead!"**_

By now Shikamaru's frantic gasps for breath were painfully audible. Silently, Kurenai began to worry that if he continued, he'd work himself into fainting, or perhaps into a coma. But then she calmed herself. Shikamaru needed to do this.

He needed to let it all out.

"Twenty seven. Twenty seven you find out that everything you've worked for, a fair world, a world without any wars, no more strife… just… peace… is all gone. Because someone didn't' want to listen. Because someone, something _**framed **_you, and the others didn't believe you! They just… jumping at the gun, starting another fucking war where even more people have to die! Because they have to protect themselves, but you have to protect yourself! And now you're killing each other and you're going to stab your best friend in the face because that's just how wars work!"

There was another silence, and when Shikamaru's voice returned, it was quivering.

"And then… thirty four. Just to fuck with me… I guess my mother has to die now too, right? Sickness… no… it's something… what kind of… fucking… random… having to...watch her… watch her just slowly slip away. In front of everyone… in front… you don't…. to just… watch her slip away from you and you can't do anything about it! You can't do anything about it because it's out of your control! And you just have to deal with it! Because no matter what you do, even if you follow all of the cock-sucking rules, if you do everything you're supposed to, you'll still lose someone! Even if they… even if they didn't do anything to deserve it. And then…."

Kurenai longed to speak, but Shikamaru wasn't finished. She needed to let him finish.

"…And Tem… Temari… I…. I…."

She could hear sniffs, and his voice was now trembling completely.

"… _**I did everything I could to protect her. **_I changed her name from the records. No… I _**ripped **_those fucking records apart! I made sure that NO ONE said ANYTHING about her being here! I made sure that they thought that she was DEAD so that she wouldn't become a target! So that she couldn't… so that we… could finally have a fucking life that the both that us wanted. We'd… we'd raise our son… we'd spend evenings and nights with each other… we'd…. we'd… we'd just be happy… we'd just be _**together**_. She deserved it… I deserved it. She… we told each other our secrets we never hid a damn thing from one another we were always open and honest. We had our issues, but we worked through them! We… we spoke, we talked to each other we played with each other we made love to each other we did everything together! We were… I… I know now that all I ever wanted was _**her!**_ That's all I wanted… Even if the war never ended… even if I could never have my perfect world back again I just wanted _**her **_I just wanted to be able to love her for the rest of my life and even beyond that _**all I wanted was her! **_And… and even… and even… and… then… that... That didn't matter that didn't fucking matter nothing matters anyone for God's sake I just can't… I just… why did she… _**why did they have to kill her…? Why… her?"**_

Suddenly, Kurenai saw Shikamaru fall onto the floor in front of him. She rushed forwards to try and stop him, but he hit the ground before she could reach him. She immediately grabbed a hold of him, picking him up and situating him by the wall that was next to them. Shikamaru's face was still full of tears, and once he was above ground again he immediately covered his eyes with his hands. Kurenai wouldn't wait any longer. She had to help him now.

"Shikamaru, please. Just calm-."

"Why am I even still here?!" he blubbered. "Why am I alive?! I... I should just die-."

"Don't say that. Please just-."

"There's no point in me still being here. I can't protect my sensei, I can't protect my father I can't protect my mother and I can't… I can't even… protect my _**wife **_what's to say that he's not going to be fucking next! And I'm still going to be too weak or too stupid to help him! And I'm… that… that little boy that… that kid…"

Shikamaru took a deep breath in, and then continued, his voice a bit easier to understand now.

"… Heh… The Stag of Konohagakure. The... Konohagakure's Genius… right? What else…. Do they call me…? Oh… I'm the General of Konohagakure… too. So… I'm all of these things… but now I'm a widower too. Because… I'm not… I'm not great I'm…"

"Shikamaru-."

"…I can't protect anyone. I should… I should just die. If… if everyone… if I died at the very least I wouldn't have to see… it when this village bur-."

"Shikamaru-."

"So that… it could be… I could be…. So… no one else would have to be lied to. My son… would be better with someone else. Anyone else. His… his uncles wouldn't hurt… no… maybe they would. He looks too much like me-."

"Shikamaru-."

"I can't protect anyone anyway-."

"Shikamaru_**, you protected me." **_

Shikamaru flinched, and then Kurenai watched as he slowly began to stop moving, and the hands in front of his face became limp. Kurenai softly reached for his hands, and brought them away from his face, placing them onto his legs. Shikamaru's face was a painful blank, but his eyes slowly began to focus on her. He was listening. She would talk.

"…Shikamaru… do you remember? When Asuma died… he asked you to look after me. And... Twenty plus years later and… I'm still here… aren't I?"

Shikamaru's eyes finally focused clearly on the woman who was now sitting beside him on the floor. Kurenai was still here. Her graying black hair, her soft, red eyes. Her wrinkled skin.

…She _was _still here.

Shikamaru didn't answer, and Kurenai took this as proof that she could continue.

"…Asuma asked you to look after Mirai as well. And before of you… as well as Temari… she's still here too, isn't she?"

Shikamaru thought back to her. Mirai Sarutobi. Only 20 years old, and yet a successful Jonin. With a large group of friends, tons of accolades…

She was alive. She was still here.

"…Your friends Choji and Ino are still alive too, aren't they? And happily married, with kids of their own."

Shikamaru nodded slowly at this, and Kurenai continued.

"Everyone else from your year is still here, except for Neji, rest his soul. No matter what you personally think, the village is still standing as well. The Land of Fire is still mostly prosperous. The Will of Fire still burns strong within everyone in this village-."

"Why does this matter? Everyone… Temari… my father…. My mother… Asuma… they're still dead-!"

"Shikamaru, you're focusing on everything that you've failed at. But you're not looking to the places where you've succeeded. You're looking at the people that you lost… but you're not looking at the people that you've **saved.**"

There was a good, long silence as Shikamaru's mind began to slowly connect to what Kurenai was telling him. As she continued speak, he continued to pick up more and more of the pieces.

"… Look around you. Your house is still standing. Your clan is still standing. You're still breathing, and despite your fears, your son is still alive. If you walk outside, there's sun. There' still ground beneath your feet, there are still people outside. The walls that protect this village are still standing. We're still… here."

Shikamaru took a breath, but Kurenai already knew what he was going to say. A rebuttal. She wouldn't have that. Now it was her time to speak.

"…And no… there's nothing you can do to bring… any of them back. You'll never have Temari back… you'll never have your parents back. We'll… we'll never see… Asuma again…"

Her voice faltered for moments, as the memories of her husband returned to her mind. But she tempered them. She had had twenty years to cry over him… and she knew that Shikamaru needed her to be strong.

"…But… We have to… honour their sacrifices. We have to acknowledge that when they died… they entrusted the future of everything they loved to us. You. You have to realise that when Temari died, she died knowing that you were strong enough to protect everything she loved. To protect her son. To protect her villag_es. _To protect yourself."

There was a pause.

"…And maybe… others will join them. But… we have to keep going, we have to keep moving on. We don't have to forget them… but we need to keep living. We need to keep working. We need to keep breathing. For them. For their memories, for everything they've done for us… and for everything they wanted to protect…"

Shikamaru began to feel sick again, but this sickness was of a different breed. And upon seeing the change in his face…

"… And if this could help you in anyway… just remember that they all loved you. Temari _loved _you. So much that she gave her life for yours. So that you could be safe."

Now it was her time to look down, as the memory of Asuma returned to her once again.

"… We have to cherish the memories that we have of our loved ones…and know that once we've left this world… we'll see them again… But in the meantime, we have work to do. In the meantime… well. We've got to look after our kids."

Shikamaru closed his eyes, and gripped his fists again.

"…More… more things I have to... do…"

"Yes. But what else can you do? Shikamaru… we're Shinobi. No matter what happens to us… we have to _fight. _It's part of us. And the alternative of us not fighting… is everything we love being ruined."

Shikamaru took a breath.

"And remember… you're not fighting by yourself."

Shikamaru slowly placed his hands into the position he usually did as he thought.

"… Most of the village Jonin know what Gaara and Kankuro did. We're not going to let them get away with this."

Shikamaru breathed in…

"We're going to make it through this. You're going to make it through this."

_"… You're going to be fine… Shikamaru. Everything's going to turn out alright for you…"_

And then he exhaled. He had to put faith in something. He had to do _something_.

"…This was an act of desperation. You know that as well as I. There's still hope for our village."

The man breathed in…

"…This was an act of… desperation…" he repeated. His voice was low, but steadily becoming stronger. Kurenai nodded.

"…Yes. It was."

Shikamaru looked down the hallway from where he was sitting. His favorite Shogi table. The one at which he planned all of his strategies. The one at which he… and Temari… had always dueled.

…Kurenai was right. Temari was right. Everyone who died for him… did it so he could live. He needed to do something about it. He needed to take _action. _

"…Kurenai…"

The older woman looked up at him.

"…Hm?"

But before he took action, he needed to plan. And before he planned, he needed to be _calm._

"…Can you just… make sure I don't do anything stupid today? Stick… stick around?"

Kurenai sighed in relief.

"Of course. I owe you one, after all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikadai Nara took off down the street… once again. He was still skipping school.

"Come back! Shikadai!"

Behind him, he couldn't bear to look. Tenten was probably still trailing him. He couldn't afford to be stopped now.

"Come back! Just tell me why you need the weapons! We can put it on your clan's tab!"

Five weighted Kunai. Thirty five shuriken. One giant shuriken. Eight food pills. Ten explosive tags.

"…Shikadai!"

Finally, her voice faded away. Shikadai rushed into a back alley, and placed the box of goods down onto a ledge.

It was mid-day by now. There was a healthy amount of sun in the sky, and Shikadai had about half of the things that he needed for his attempt. He had the information on his mother's killers. He now had enough tools to deal with them. Now, he needed to find shinobi that would help him.

He placed all of the tools that he had gathered onto a scroll, and then did a sign to seal them all into it. He then placed the scroll into his backpack, took out his notepad, and checked off all of the items that had been on his list. He had needed to get more varied food provisions, but Tenten, the owner of the largest weapon shop in town, had caught onto his shoplifting ways before he could get them. He still had enough.

Out of breath, he leaned up against the walls of the alley, and placed all of his items onto his knapsack, onto his lap.

_So much… work. Troublesome._

There was still so much the boy had to decide on. And his plan wasn't going too well. The moment that Kakashi had spotted him, he knew that he couldn't afford to drag out the preparation process another day. The former Hokage had probably alerted most of the ninja in the village to what he was doing now, or at the very least that there had been a child in the archives that wasn't allowed to be there. With his theft from Tenten's shop, he was probably a legal criminal by now. Now, he couldn't go home. After he dealt with the Kazekage and his brother, his father would probably have his ass when he returned.

He took another sigh. That was assuming his father would be active, and not a bum again.

In his mind, he began to go down a list of Jonin level or higher shinobi in the village, trying to remember if he could think of someone that would be sympathetic to his cause, or at the very least buyable. He wondered that he could probably try and forge an "assassination" S Ranked mission, and if it looked legitimate enough, he'd probably get a lot of people to help him. But he wanted someone who was good, not just someone who was in it for the money. Someone who knew about the severity of the situation, and someone who was really, really go-

"_Shikadai Nara, is that you?"_

Shikadai slammed his fist into his open palm. Sasuke Uchiha was an excellent idea.

The man was nearly as strong as the Hokage himself, and was extremely talented and skilled. He knew this by the curriculum in his school, along with the fact that he was the head of Konohagakure's Police Force. And even better… he had been there on the day that his mother had been attacked. The Uchiha's sense of justice would likely lead him to help the boy for free.

His stomach growled, and Shikadai giggled to himself. His plan would succeed, he'd go ask Sasuke for help… after lunch.

And so he left the alley and headed onto the street. Luckily for him, the area he was in now was a market, full of vendors selling things at reasonable prices. He and his friends usually came here for lunch, and he had his favourite vendor. The grilled salmon guy.

His eyes found the cart, and the boy quickly rushed over to buy himself two sticks of salmon. Money wasn't an issue, he had taken half of his father's funds, knowing that he wasn't going to use them, nor need them, anytime soon. Once he had his fish, he began to slowly walk away, eating his food as he wen-.

"Hey! Shikadai! Wait up!"

Shikadai then remembered that it was lunch time.

"Shikadai! Hey man, what's going on-."

He couldn't have any of his friends get involved with his plan.

He began to run away down an alley once again, holding both of his food sticks in his hand, clutching onto his backpack, making sure neither his notes nor the scroll that he had in his pocket were going to fall out. After he had dashed through a fair share of alleys, ending up in a quieter part of town, he allowed himself to slow down and begin to walk again-.

"Guh! Shikadai! Come on, wait up!"

At this point, Shikadai was tired. Turning around, he was able to see that his friend Inojin had been the one trailing him. He took a few breaths in, and then simply narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"…Hi Inojin."

Inojin knelt over and caught his breath. Upon seeing that his friend had stopped, he leaned up, and then began to smile.

"Heeey Shikadai! You weren't at school this morning! You weren't at school yesterday! What's going on? You're missing like, the new unit! We're onto kinematics, how things move! It's cool-."

"I was busy yesterday. "

"With what?"

Shikadai cringed.

"… I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"… I can't."

Shikadai quickly shoved his mouth full of more salmon, as Inojin began to guess.

"Oh! I know what happened! Yesterday it was raining! Maybe your mom kept you inside?"

Shikadai cringed again.

"…"

"Yeah! Remember that one time when it was really, really windy, and then your mom showed up personally to the school to make sure that you were ok? It was just wind though! She still took you home after school! Your mom can be really _troublesome_, can't she?"

Shikadai began to shake.

"I mean, why is she so over-protective of you? I mean, come on. Also, why are you skipping school today? Is it because of your Mom again? Or maybe now it's your da- No, it's definitely you Mo-"

"Shut** Up!"**

Shikadai's eyes began to turn red. Inojin continued to press.

"What's wrong? Why are you so upset about your mo-"

"Because my Mom's _**dead **_now! Don't talk… don't _ever _talk about her again!"

Inojin's eyes immediately widened, and Shikadai found himself taking one step back from his friend. He really didn't have time for this. He really didn't want to have to deal with this again.

"…So the funeral that my Mom and Dad went to yesterday-."

Shikadai was already running away from him.

"Shikadai! Wait up!"

_**"There is no point in doing that."**_

Shikadai didn't stop for anything.

_**"This had to happen."**_

"Shikadai! Don't lock yourself away! Come on! Can I help?!"

Shikadai's tears didn't start flowing until Inojin was out of his vision.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Ten Years Ago…_

_ "And you'd __**defend **__them after all this?!"_

_ Kankuro's voice snapped at his older sister before Temari could even finish her sentence. _

_ "…They didn't do it, Kankuro-."_

_ "Aaaoooohh! What are you going to tell me now, huh? That it was an 'accident'? That it was a 'false flag operation'?! Pah!"_

_ The puppet master began to pace around in front of Gaara's desk as Temari stayed calmly seated in her seat. She wasn't going to let her little brother get the best of her. Kankuro had always been a drama-king._

_ "…Gaara, you have to listen to me. If we do this then we're throwing away years of preparation! Years of co-operation! Just because we didn't wait for the facts to come out-."_

_ "What other facts are there, Temari?!" Kankuro interrupted once again. "I think the facts that we have are enough. A thousand people dead. __**Leaf **__headbands found on the perpetrators. I think we're done here!" _

_ "…Gaara-."_

_ "You're just defend them because of __**him, **__aren't you?"_

_ Gaara's eyes raised from its position in his desk, and he watched as one of the veins in Temari's head began to visibly appear. He began to think that Kankuro was going to regret his words soon._

_ "… Him? You think that this is about hi-."_

_ "All I ever see you when he's in town is fawn over him like some fucking bitch in heat. I can bet that that's all you're doing while you're in Konohagakure, too, aren't you?"_

_ "..This isn't about Shikamaru-."_

_ "No no no, I think it IS about Shikamaru! If you just had some proper standards, and maybe started to look at some men in Sunagakure the same way that you look at that son of a-."_

_ And with that, Gaara's table went flying towards Kankuro._

Kankuro wasn't even given enough time to mourn his sister.

"You let me go!"

"Restrain him please. The quicker we start the faster we can all go home."

"You're going to regret the day that you underestimated me-!"

Kankuro felt a sharp jolt of electricity to his neck, and he felt very faint for a few moments. This was enough for the other members of Konohagakure's Interrogation Core to shove him into a metal chair, and restrain him. By the time he was up again, his arms and legs had been strictly restrained.

The room was quite eerie and dark. There was a glass room to his right side, and he saw that the people who had restrained him were looking in at him through the windows. Above him, there was a single white lightbulb. The rest of the room was a dark grey, most of the room was too dark for him to make out details. In front of him stood Ino Yamanaka.

She _did _say that they were going to start interrogating him today. Looks like she kept her word.

Like a typical Sand Shinobi, he wouldn't let her get into his mind to easily.

"You think you can come in and just take what you want from me?" He spat. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Yes. Listen Kankuro, I don't have time for this. Just shut the fuck up and let me into your mind."

Ino slowly placed her hands together into the sign of her clan, and spread her legs a part slightly.

"Guys, make sure to watch my body while I'm in. It's important that it's not harmed or else the jutsu will fail."

"I hope it fails."

"I'm glad you do."

And then suddenly, Kankuro felt like he was on fire.

His head began to break open, he would have sworn on any other occasion. He grit his teeth, not wanting to give the people around him the satisfaction of having him scream, and he began to duck his head into his chest. He could almost feel his soul being torn from his own body, but he'd fight until he couldn't any longer to make sure that that did not happen.

In front of him, he could see Ino's face begin to tense up. A minute or so passed, and then she removed her hand sign, and took a deep breath. The captive and the captor could hear a buzz come in from the ceiling. Kankuro's eyes drifted to the glass room beside him to see that someone was speaking into the microphone.

"Is everything alright in there, Ino?"

Ino took a deep breath. Kankuro did the same.

"He's a bit hard to get into-."

"Told you-."

"Knock him out. I need to get in."

And with that, Kankuro suddenly felt a great amount of electricity enter his veins. Within moments, he was out.

_K guys, that's the end of it. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Maximum wait time of bi-weekly. I hope you liked this! Remember to R &amp; R!_


	22. Reaction

_AN: Thanks for your continued readership. So, this chapter's going to be really, really heavy, I feel, but there's going to be a lot in it once again. So far I have a scene with Kankuro and Ino, a scene with Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura, and finally a big one with Sasuke, Kakashi and Shikadai. If you guys liked the last chapter, you'll probably love this one._

_Once again, I do not own any of the characters, and I don't own Naruto._

One fundamental thing that Ino Yamanaka had learnt in her years of espionage and interrogation was that everyone's mind had a different structure. Some people had clean minds, their memories stored neatly in obvious locations. Sometimes it was an ocean for her to swim through, other times it was a single clear hallway, a person's memories or desires hidden behind a series of doors. The one thing that was consistent, however, was the fact that most people had clear, organized minds.

Kankuro's mind, however, was a mess.

She couldn't tell if this was a purposeful affect, or if this was just the way that the man was. All she knew was that the view of his consciousness that she held was a chaotic one. Instead of swimming around an ocean, or walking down a hallway, she was in a circular, dark room. There were no doors, nor was there any sense of organization. Instead, there was a single window that was behind her, outside of it being absorbed by a sandstorm. A single candle on a bench a ways in front of her.

And puppets. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of puppets.

Scattered around on the floor around her. Some of them hung up on walls. Some of them sprawled out on desks. Some of them had their faces facing away from her, some of them were staring directly at her. All of them with their own pattern, their own look, their own style. Some of them clearly based off of animals, other based off of people. Some finished. Some still in progress, arms, legs, or limbs missing.

But they were there. And Ino could not see a way out.

And there was no noise-.

"…Get out of my head."

Until Kankuro's voice began to echo through a location in the room that she was in.

Ino shivered, and then looked around to try and find the source of it. The room was quite dark, and the fact that Kankuro was even able to communicate with her was unusual. This had to be first time that someone had tried to communicate with her while she was within someone's thoughts, and it was a weird feeling. She couldn't exactly feel that she was being pushed out in any other way, however.

Perhaps this was his only way of resistance left. Either way, it soon faded in priority to her main objective of finding where he kept his memories. Idly, she began to head towards one of the puppets that was near her, and soon she began to hear shuffling from behind her.

She immediately turned herself around to see that there was a new puppet sitting in front of her, up straight, on a bench. This one was newer-looking, freshly made. A humanoid appearance. Brown hair. Intense, dark brown eyes. Slightly tanned skin. Purple markings on it's face. It's mouth hung slightly open.

Ino narrowed her eyes. It looked like a mirror image of Kankuro, save for the fact that it still had both legs. And once Kankuro's voice peaked through the mind once again, Ino began to realise the puppet's purpose amongst the others.

"…Get out. Get out of my head."

The voice of the puppet was now more rigid and deep. As it spoke, she could almost see the blue chakra strings that moved his odd, rectangular mouth wiggle. She couldn't see where it's holder was from, but either way, Ino calmed herself, and took a breath, rolling her eyes.

"You think that because you told me to get out, I'm going to get out?"

Once she was finished rolling them, she slowly narrowed her pupils, and focused on the appearance of the puppet in front of her. The puppet was wearing a similar cloth to what Kankuro was wearing in reality, still missing his hood, but his headband was now sewed into the puppet's right arm. Ino could watch the puppet slowly begin to lean forwards on the bench it sat at, and heard a soft crackling noise as the puppet's eyes slowly refocused on her.

"… What's on my mind isn't your damn business. Get out, or I'll make sure there's hell for you in the future."

Ino ignored the puppet for a moment, and then took a quick look around at her surroundings. She didn't see any of the other puppets moving, and the sandstorm outside the window was still raging on. Kankuro's threats were nothing to her. She'd be in a million minds, had been given a thousand threats. What was more pressing to her was finding the memories and information that he stored, and in the messy room that she had been placed in, this would prove to be a hard task.

She looked towards a puppet that was near her, and moved her hands to move it away from the bench that it was situated on. The puppet of Kankuro in front of her stirred.

"What are you doing?" He spat. Ino continued to move the puppets out of the way, until the bench that they had been lying on was fully cleared. Upon seeing the clear, brown desk in front of her, she sighed. Her first suspicion was that the key to his memories had been hidden under the puppets, but so far it was turning out to be a false idea.

There was, however, a chance that it might have been "outside" of the room that she was in. She wasn't in a big hurry to go directly into a sandstorm though. Even if it was a virtual sandstorm, one that wasn't real. And as with most people she had spied on, their memories and sensitive information was usually located close to where she originally arrived. They had to be somewhere in this room.

"If you think that you'll find them here, you've got another thing coming."

Ino finally snapped her head back to the talking puppet's position, and spoke back.

"Just shut the hell up! Why don't you just sit there and accept that you _lost?"_

"Because I haven't lost. Not yet. And once I get out of here, you'll see that you're nowhere close to beating _me._"

Ino took a deep breath, and then knocked over one of the puppets that was now on the floor in frustration.

"…Just how the hell you can still be so… cocky… after you've killed your own damn Sis-."

"Just_** get out of my head!" **_

Ino slightly jumped, before she began to feel Kankuro's mind shake her back and forth. Whatever she had incited by her accusations had seemed to change the state of his mind, because after a few moments of tremors, she noticed that the puppets that had been previously scattered away everywhere were now all up on the walls, leaving the benches that were around her empty and bare. Kankuro's puppet, on the other hand, continued to sit in its position on his bench, but now it's mechanical eyes were narrowed closer at her.

She looked back at him, and then slowly began to try and piece together a plan. With the ambiguity of where his memories were, the information she wanted to see was getting harder to locate. She was sure that she still had a lot of chakra, but at the same time, she still needed to hurry. She had others things to do in a day other than interrogate this man.

With this in mind, she walked over to the walls where the Puppets were, and then began to look closely over each other. Other than Kankuro's puppet, they were the only things within the room that were of any real interest, and she began to suspect that they might hold to key to something. At least, anything. Idly, she allowed one of her hands to bush over the surface of one of them, the one that she now stood in front of. A long, snake-like one. Its wood a dark, polished oak. No limbs of any kind, simply a long, limp body full of segments, topped off by a long, slender head resembling a python. Just under the top segment of the "head" of the puppet, a small, etched signature onto it.

A circle, with the symbol of Suna inside, underneath two dark, horizontal purple streaks. Kankuro's signature. The puppet was a work of art.

But there was something odd about this puppet in particular. Not just it's design, but the fact that the puppet's eyes seemed to have been made of a different material than the others. Instead of a weird, metal encased filling, its eyes were pure ruby. A deep, almost blood coloured, red was also etched along the eye socket's outline.

Its eyes were… mesmerizing.

She continued to look into its rubies, until she idly reached out a hand to touch the gem in its socket.

And that was when the world around her began to shift and change.

All around her, she began to see the walls fall, and the puppets began to disappear into thin air one by one. She turned her head to see Kankuro's puppet begin to stand up, before letting out a growl and disappearing into thin air as well. Soon, the room around her had disappeared, and soon even the sandstorm that had been brewing outside disappeared. Leaving her alone in a black space, the only thing visible being the puppet in front of her.

_…What did I do? _

She looked around for any true sign of light, and once she saw that there was none, she took a deep breath, trying to gain understandings of her surroundings. She was still in Kankuro's mind, that was one thing she knew, and the ruby eyed puppet was still there…

Until it wasn't. Until the ruby-eyed snake began to fade away as well. Until the darkness around Ino began to slowly turn into a more complicated, true scene. Until walls of sand began to fade in, until the puppets returned. Until the puppets began to situate themselves on the walls around her, and until a staircase began to appear in front of her. Until she began to notice different tables and desks around her. Until she began to see various worktable appear on the walls around her, random tools discarded on them in a mess. Lights began to adorn the walls, adding light, and finally, she began to hear scribbling and a crunching sound from behind her. She slowly turned her head until she saw a man in a black jumpsuit hunched over a desk, over at the far corner of the room, sitting on a stool directly under a light, with a bowl of chips beside him.

Ino narrowed her eyes. She slowly began to walk closer towards the man, being careful to make sure that the man couldn't see her nor hear her. She was just over the man's shoulder when he sneezed, and she jumped back, making a loud noise. The man wiped his nose onto his sleeve, and then continued his work, paying Ino no mind.

The head of the Yamanaka clan raised one of her eyebrows, and then began to walk forwards, situating herself at the man's side so that he could clearly see her. The man didn't raise his head. She placed a hand in front of him, and he didn't even notice it.

Finally, she reached forwards and tried to touch the man… and her hand went right through his body.

_… I'm not really here. It's… a memory?_

It was possible that the puppet had triggered her entry into some sort of memory. Finally, the loud sound of the scribbling ceased, and she turned to see the man in front of her move his hands to reach for a ruler beside him. She looked closely at the man, and finally realised that he was…

Kankuro.

_Of course, it's __**his **__mind after all. Now… what are you working on…?_

He took the ruler that he had placed in his hands and began to trace a long, straight line on the piece of paper in front of him. Ino looked forwards onto his desk to see that in front of him seemed to be a design plan for a puppet. There were 5 sections, two on each side of the long piece of paper and one large one in the middle. On each of the smaller sections, there seemed to be miscellaneous notes, and in the middle there was the beginnings of a sketch of a puppet. A puppet she had seen earlier in his mind.

The ruby eyed snake.

Ino leaned onto the table to get a better look at it. She didn't have anything else to document what was going on to the real world except her memory, so she had to pay attention. The draft had measurements that were completely beyond the size and structure that she had seen on the actual puppet earlier, with what should have been metres being measured in kilometres, and other little notifications that were different. Some things that she noted was that there were a few notifications placed on each side of the puppet to indicate where blades were supposed to be. There was also a notice for placing gallons of poison near the bottom of it's mid-section, and marking where it would secrete though it's skin. As Kankuro continued to write more and more details, she began to note that he was planning on using a significant amount of metal and steel, as opposed to the materials on most of the puppets she had seen him use, such as wood.

Eventually, after a few sketches, he had finished drawing the mid-section. All that was left was the tail. At this, Ino watched as Kankuro took a deep breath, and then leaned back in his stool. Ino noticed that he wasn't wearing any of his face paint, and so the sweat that he held on his face was less obvious to the naked eye. Around his eyes were prominent bags, revealing that he might have been up for quite some time, and his actual irises were struggling to stay focused on something, anything. After sitting up for a while, she watched as he brought his hands over to the bowl of chips beside him, and shove a few of them into his mouth. He then brought his other hand over to his pencil, and picked up his pencil once again. Ino saw him pause for a moment, and then finally remembered to add a title to his work…

_"Eden"_

He then took a deep breath, before reaching into his desk, and taking out a large blueprint. Ino leaned in a bit closer to see a brief outline of Sunagakure on the map, with a detailed list of streets, locales, roads, and it's population. Kankuro reached forwards to begin to make etches…

Before both Kankuro and Ino heard a sudden, loud cry from upstairs. Ino felt a familiar sentiment from the sound.

Ino looked up the stairs behind her, before hearing shuffling and stuffing from Kankuro's direction. Before she could turn around again, Kankuro had flipped over both the sketch and the blueprint so that they were both face down, and was now rushing upstairs. Once he was gone, Ino moved over to the desk to try and flip the plans back over to get a better sense of what was happening, but soon remembered that she could not interact with the memory. Then, the cries from upstairs happened again, and she turned around to see Kankuro quickly begin to ascend the small staircase up.

Quickly thinking, she rushed after him. She had gotten a glimpse of the strange puppet, but his plans and ideas were still quite vague. She didn't exactly know how much time she had left, but there would probably be at least something if she followed Kankuro.

He, however, was moving quickly, with a clear purpose. Once the two were up the stairs, she watched as he hit a lever that pulled up the stairs and closed the place he had ascended from behind him, as they walked into the hallway. It wasn't lit at all, and so Kankuro hit another switch, turning on the lights.

Then the cry came again. Ino still couldn't exactly tell what it was, but the familiar feeling wasn't going away. Quickly, Kankuro went into a light jog down the hallway, before he reached another set of spiral stairs and led him up. Ino was right behind him. On the new floor, there was another cry, from the same source. Ino was close behind him, as he opened the door to the 4th room from the stairs. He opened the door quickly, and once Ino had entered the room with him, he closing the door behind himself quickly after, she soon realised why the cry had been so familiar.

In front of her was a medium sized room. There was a giant, stuffed unicorn in the corner, there was a large desk in the corner, covered neatly with a blanket. Straight ahead of her, there was a large window, from which she could see a great view of Sunagakure, and saw that it was raining, a rare sight. Kankuro moved forwards, and flicked on a small lamp on the desk, before turning himself to the other side of the room to address the source of the cries:

A crib. Ino's eyes slowly widened as she slowly made her way over to the structure, and before Kankuro could reach it, she was able to confirm exactly what, or _who, _had been crying.

In the crib there was a little baby. Small, curly tuffs of dark brown hair on its head. Slightly tanned skin, it's cheeks a rosy red. Swaddled in a dark purple blanket, a pacifier having falling out of its mouth, which was open wide, the child eager to show off it's lungs. A little baby.

_…Well._

Ino watched as Kankuro took the baby up into his arms, and then immediately cradled her in his right arm, before beginning to pace back and forth slowly in front of the crib. He slightly bounced his arms, to try and soothe the child, but the baby still cried out loudly. After a few more moments, she could see Kankuro's normally stony features turn to water as his face became emotional, his brows tensing up. She stopped is bouncing and walking, and then placed the baby to his shoulder, slightly patting the back.

"Shh… shh…" she heard him coo. His voice was normally harsh and commanding, but here it was everything other than that. "It's okay. Your Daddy's here, Princess. It's going to be ok…"

_…He has a daughter. Kankuro has a daughter._

…_I can use this._

As she watched Kankuro continue to struggle with his daughter's cries, she silently chided herself for a thought. There were a million and one ways she could use this new knowledge to make him co-operate, but she knew how disgusting the thought of using it was. On one hand, Konohagakure had a lot of skilled ninja, and if Gaara and Kankuro could sneak into their village to try and kill Shikamaru, then it wouldn't be such a tall order to sneak into their village and take his daughter. If Kankuro cared about this child anywhere near as much as he cared about his brother, he'd essentially be in their hands as long as they had her in custody. This could possibly even bring Gaara to surrender. _It could end the war._

But on the other hand, Ino was a mother. And she didn't need a Nara to tell her that that would be _disgusting_. And as she didn't need _anyone _to tell her _why._

As she watched Kankuro try to burp his daughter, her own memories of doing the same thing with her own son came back to her. Holding Inojin, trying to get him to stop crying. Playing with him, accompanying Sai as the father taught his son how to paint, helping the boy with his homework…

"Come on… are you hungry? But your Mommy fed you before she left… what's going on…?"

Finally, her memories ended as the baby's cries came back harder again. She could hear Kankuro grit his teeth, and then looked back up at him to see him holding his child in his arms, helplessly. She let out a smirk. This great, cold, calculated murderer being left dumbfounded by something as small and weak as new life.

"Tsk tsk tsk," she heard him say. "Come on Princess…"

Suddenly, she could hear the baby's cries begin to cease until they stopped, and then Ino began to walk closer to her, before being taken aback when the child opened her eyes. She wasn't developed yet, but she already had the same, intense eyes as her father. And yet as she looked up at her parent with her eyes, it wasn't in a hateful or cold matter. Instead, it looked as if the baby was confused, now _she _was dumbfounded by her father.

Kankuro's eyes slowly widened, and then he slowly allowed himself to smile. "Good… good baby…"

The moment he said those words, she began to cry again.

Ino giggled like her younger self as she watched Kankuro tense up again. The baby had closed her eyes again, and was now trying to move her hands from within her blanket. Kankuro was now at his wits end, slowly lifting the child up and down, trying to bounce her back to happiness.

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk. Princess… Daddy has to work."

The crying stopped once again. Ino looked up to see the baby look up at her father once again, and widen her eyes. She squirmed in her blanket once again, and Kankuro took a deep breath.

"…What do you need…?"

The girl continued to look up at her father, before slowly closing her mouth again. She made a little growling noise, before Ino heard her make a noise.

"…Tsk… tsk…"

Kankuro's eyes widened, and then he brought the child closer to him, ever so slightly.

"Tsk tsk?"

The baby licked her lips.

"Tsk… tsk…tsk… aaaah."

Her little face slowly brought itself into a weird, yet sure, attempt at a toothless smile. Kankuro's eyes slowly narrowed at her movements, as he made the sound with his mouth again.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

"…Tsk…tsk…tsk…"

"Tsk tsk."

"Tssssssssssssssssssk!"

Then, the baby squealed in delight. Kankuro smiled back at her, and then bounced her in the air in front of him, still being careful to not drop her. She continued to squeal, as Ino chuckled at the sight.

And then the world around her began to crumble.

_…Of course. I'm running out of Chakra..._

She watched as Kankuro extended a single finger for his daughter to play with, and then moved to lean himself up against a wall. As he did this, her earlier thoughts of what she could do with the information came back to her. This memory was, for the most part, just a selection of information of which she would have to later figure out how to use, and what they meant. The Puppet Schematics, the Blueprint, and now…

The child. What would she do with the knowledge that Kankuro had a daughter? What _could _she do?

As the darkness finally enveloped in her view of Kankuro's mind, and her consciousness returned to her own body, she realized that it was her job to figure that out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kurenai Yuhi placed her knight piece down on the shogi board, and then took a deep breath.

"…Checkmate?"

Shikamaru Nara took a sip of water from the glass he held beside him, and then shook his head.

"Not quite."

He moved his own piece, and then leaned back onto the pillow that he had situated behind him.

"_Now _it's checkmate."

Kurenai narrowed her eyes on the shogi board, and then threw up her hands, rolling her eyes.

"Well…looks like you still got it, doesn't it?"

"Sure does."

They both let out a light chuckle, and then Shikamaru turned his head beside him to pour more water into his cup. His hands were still shaking from earlier, so his motions were slower, more precise. Once he was done pouring himself more water, he lifted the jug in Kurenai's direction, only for her to shake her head. He then placed the mug back down beside them and took a deep breath.

It had been hours since Kurenai had arrived, and things were starting to become just a bit more tolerable for Shikamaru. After the two had spoken, he had offered to help her around for a bit of the day, and so had found himself helping her with groceries, helping her with some minor goings on in her own house, before remembering that his _own _home was still a mess, and so she had followed him to help him with his own cleaning. It was late afternoon now, and after a long day of house-keeping, the two had been taking a break, playing some shogi.

And now that their match was over, it was an unsaid rule that it was probably a good idea for Kurenai to go home. But even as she began to help him clean up the shogi board, she wondered if it was a good idea to truly leave.

He was, after all, still mostly unstable. She didn't think that he'd bring harm to his own son, but instead still feared that he'd end up hurting himself. She knew from personal experience that change didn't come easy, nor did it come quickly. But at the same time, she didn't need to trespass-.

The phone rang.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, and then finished placing his shogi board back into the closet. Kurenai let it down, and then slowly gathered her things as Shikamaru moved himself back into the kitchen to pick up the receiver. He took a deep breath, and then answered. Whatever jitters he had had from earlier were gone now. He could speak to others again.

"Hello? This is Shikamaru of the Nara Clan. State your business."

"Shikamaru? This is Shino."

Shikamaru raised one of his brows, and then idly began to lean over the kitchen counter in front of him. He knew that Shino Aburame was his son's sensei, but despite the fact that he and Shikamaru were friends, he usually didn't call like this, instead preferring to show up in the flesh.

"Hey, Shino."

"Hello. Listen… have you been contacted by… anyone else today?"

The way Shino was phrasing things was already giving Shikamaru a headache.

"…No."

Not that he could remember, anyways.

"…Is Shikadai there with you?"

"No. He should be heading home from school right now."

"…Shikamaru… he never came to school today."

Shikamaru's eyes slowly widened.

"…What?"

"He hasn't been here all day."

Shikamaru fell silent for a few minutes as his mind began to race. From where she was standing, Kurenai's brows furrowed.

"…Shikamaru?"

_…Where the hell..?_

"…If Shikadai needs more time off from school… you know that I can give that to him."

Shikamaru's mind began to race ahead, and he frowned.

"What do you mean by that?"

"…I know that you two are going through a hard time right now. I… what we're learning at the academy right now I can just send you, or I can re-teach at a later date. Earlier in the week... even before yesterday Shikadai's just been moodier than usual. I think he needs a break."

There was a pause as Shikamaru's frown became greater. Shino returned his voice to the conversation a few moments later.

"…But of course, you're his father. What do they say? You get the final say. I-."

"I don't know if I'll take you up on your offer yet. Just… I'll call you tomorrow depending on what I decide."

Shikamaru could almost hear Shino nod.

"I see. If you'd like, I could alert the police forces to search for Shikadai's whereabouts-."

"That won't be needed."

"Are you su-."

"_I can find my boy, Shino._"

There was a silence at the other end of the line, and then Shikamaru could hear Shino sigh.

"… I see. Well, let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Goodbye."

Shikamaru couldn't hang up the phone fast enough. Just when he thought that his life was going to get even slightly better, things were beginning to spiral out of control once again. Now his wife was dead…

And his son was **missing. **The good thing, however, was that he knew where his son liked to go.

He abruptly slammed the phone back onto it's receiver, and then turned around to see Kurenai standing there in front of him. He tried to rush past her, to head for his closet to get his shoes to go outside, but she quickly moved herself in front of him once again.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing. I'm just going out-." He began to move past her, only for her to put herself in between him and the rest of the world again.

"Shikamaru, tell me what's going on."

He narrowed his eyes, and then took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. This wasn't like him, rushing off into nonsense like this.

"… Shikadai's school called. He's not there. He was never there."

He took another deep breath, and then placed his hand to his chin, and then closed his eyes.

"…And so I was going to go out… but you probably don't want me doing that…"

"I'm not your Mother, Shikamaru. You don't _have _to listen to me. But…"

Kurenai paused. She noticed that Shikamaru was still standing the way he was.

"…What are you thinking about?"

There was another pause, before Shikamaru allowed his eyes to open again, a new idea on his mind.

"You know the place that Shikadai likes to hang out at. The library? If you don't want me to leave… I can stay here in case he comes back, and you can go there to see if he's there. That is, if you're not busy-."

"Of course I'm not. If you want me to go there to see if he's there, it's fine."

Kurenai quickly gathered the few things that she had brought here, and then slipped on her slippers. She moved towards the front door, but then suddenly stopped, paused, and turned around to look at Shikamaru. When the head of the Nara clan raised a brow, she gave her answer.

"… Just make sure that you take care of yourself, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru blinked, and before he could properly think on it, she was out the door, and gone.

The moment he was, he slowly walked himself over to his kitchen's counter, and then sat on the stool that was there. He leaned over the counter once again, and then let his head rest on the table in front of him. He needed to be calm about what was going on. His son wasn't stupid. His son was a pretty bright kid. He wouldn't be getting himself into trouble, he was probably just cutting school. All he did was sleep in class anyways, he was probably just fine.

And even if he was up to something mischievous… he had friends and comrades all over the village. They'd call him. They'd notify him. For now, Shikamaru needed to rest. He needed to keep himself calm, and he needed to relax.

He looked up from his position-

And directly into the face of a picture of him and Temari, still sitting there on the kitchen counter top. Sitting in their garden, the both of them leaning next to a tree...

"_Ha, this is what you call a garden?"_

"_You know that you're dissing my Mom, right? And there's nothing wrong with my garden."_

"_Pfft, of course you'd think that." Temari walked over to a small tulip plant._

"_I doubt that your Mom is responsible for this... travesty. Look, this one is dying."_

_Shikamaru placed his hands to the back of his head, and then squinted his eyes._

"_Pfft. OK, what's your point?"_

"_My point is... we should probably improve this. Or at least deal with the dead plants."_

_Temari slowly knelt towards the tulip, and then pulled it out completely, including it's roots. From here he stood, Shikamaru sighed._

"_**We? **Ugh... how troubleso-."_

"_Say that word again and I'll snap your dick off. Now, go get me a compost bag. We're going to fix up this garden... **now."**_

_Shikamaru bit his lips, crossed his legs, and eventually went back into the house to do her bidding._

Of course, in many years since that day, he would be happy with his decision to help her. The garden was now one of the last places were...

_...Not this again... Please..._

When he moved his hand to place the picture looking away from him, his heart ached.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Several Hours Later..._

"Pfft. And so that's what you thinks going on?"

"Definitely. There hasn't been a follow up attack since... that day. It's a possibility. If they haven't planned out a follow up attack yet, then they'll probably start soon. We need to increase our defences before that happens."

"Agreed."

Sitting beside Sasuke, Sakura placed the cup of tea that was in front of her into her mouth, while Sasuke frowned lightly, and then looked out the window beside him, watching the sunset. Both Kakashi and Sakura watched him as his eyes narrowed, and he sighed softly.

"...We were almost there, weren't we?"

It didn't take a genius to figure what he was talking about.

Sakura sighed, and then looked away from him, smoothing out her house kimono, while Kakashi slowly placed another pastry into his mouth. After spending the rest of the day advising the Hokage, something he been doing ever since Shikamaru stopped showing up to work, and Housekeeping his own home, Kakashi Hatake had finally made his way towards the household of what was now the Uchiha Clan. Upon his arrival a few hours ago, he had been able to eat dinner with the whole family, including Sarada, but now three of the members of the legendary Squad 7 were in the living room of the house, situated on two sides of a table, sitting underneath cushions, a large window beside them. Sakura and Sasuke, Wife and husband, sitting on one side, with Kakashi sitting by himself on the other.

In truth, there was a lot to discuss. Other than the domestic, normal things that people usually spoke about, there was the underlying fact that the war, in fact, was still going on. And with the funeral that they had all attended yesterday finished, there was a clear need to figure out exactly what the Hokage should be advised to do about the rest of the war. Even if the topic made each and every one of the people in the present uncomfortable.

After a few moments of looking outside his window, Sasuke turned himself back into his home. For his casual wear, he had opted to wear a dark blue kimono, with sandals, and he had even tied his long hair back into a low ponytail. He rubbed the weak stubble that was attempting to grow on his chin, and then he closed his eyes.

"If you ask me, we should strike before they get their bearings back," he said. Upon hearing his suggestion, Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but continued to have the man talk.

"For this entire war, we've always been waiting for them to strike first. We should have never let them do that, now they think we're weak, and because of that we've lost far too many people. We should attack something straight away."

"The issue with that," Kakashi began. "Is that there is a great number of Ninja from our village who are-."

_Knock knock knock._

_ Immediately_, Kakashi watched as Sakura stood up to go see who it was. She moved herself over to the door, and then looked through the peep hole. Her eyes slightly narrowed when she saw who was at the door, and then she turned herself around, looking back into the living room to see her husband.

"It's Shikadai Nara. You know, Shikamaru's son...?"

Kakashi frowned behind his mask at the mention of the child's name. Sasuke looked up at Sakura, and then blinked.

"Is he with Shikamaru?" He said, his voice sounding a bit interested. He hadn't seen Shikamaru since yesterday, and he was supposed to be at work today. Of course he wasn't. Sasuke could understand what Shikamaru was going through, having his family ripped away from him. But the true mystery for him was why his son was here.

"What is he here for?"

Sakura looked in the peep hole once again, before speaking to the boy through the door in front of him.

"What are you doing here, Shikadai?"

She could immediately hear and answer from the young man outside her door.

"I'm just here to ask Mr. Uchiha if he can answer a few of my questions. I'm doing it for a school project."

Sakura turned around and relayed the information to Sasuke. Before he could do anything else, however, Kakashi looked his former student straight in the eye. If the kid had truly come here... then he was serious.

"...Hey... Sasuke..."

Sasuke looked towards his former teacher, and then nodded.

"Yes?"

Kakashi gulped, and then began.

"I'll give you the condensed version. All you need to know is that Shikadai is about to do something incredibly stupid..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a few more moments of waiting, Shikadai saw the door in front of him open up, and he stepped into the Uchiha household for the first time.

He and Sarada weren't particularly close, and she had no siblings, giving him no opportunity to have any idea of what was within her home. What he _did _see was a large, neat, clean and proper home, everything around having been put away properly. Eventually, his sightseeing was interrupted by the vision of the pink haired woman at his side.

"Hello, Shikadai."

Sakura was always so pleasant sounding, until of course she got pissed off. But, thankfully, Shikadai had never really seen the woman upset. Even at the hospital, when he had went to sign his father out after his treatment, she had managed to keep herself calm and collected.

Shikadai looked up at her and smiled, before waving. In actuality, his reasons for coming to the Uchiha residence was less innocent than she could probably predict, but before he could execute the rest of his plan, he would have to play innocent for a least a little while longer.

He adjusted the bag on his back, hoping that she couldn't notice how heavy it was, and then spoke again, calmly.

"How was your day, Mrs. Uchiha?"

Sakura smiled.

"Well, it was fine. You know, Sarada mentioned that you weren't at school today..."

_...Freaking Sarada._

"Oh. I was working on something with my Dad, but I'm just here to make sure that I don't fall behind on the project Aburame-sensei gave me a few days before."

Sakura nodded. Shikadai could tell that she wasn't really buying his story...

"Well, at any rate, Sasuke's waiting for you in the living room. Try to make your questions quick, me and him still have a lot of things to go over."

Shikadai nodded, and then walked alongside the Uchiha Matriarch as she guided him towards their living room. He noticed the layout of their house, similar to his, being a two story home, before the two arrived at their destination. The young boy looked forwards to see Sasuke sitting by himself at the table, sipping some tea out of a small cup. Upon seeing the boy, Sasuke silently motioned for him to sit down in front of him. As Shikadai went to do that, Sakura left him, presumably to do other duties. And finally, as he entered the room, Shikadai closed the sliding door behind him. The older man and the child were now in the living room by themselves.

Sasuke noticed this. Shikadai went to sit down on the other side of the table, and after he did, Sasuke spoke.

"Well... what did you need to see me for? Your project, right?"

His voice wasn't harsh, but Shikadai could tell that his presence here wasn't exactly expected. He took a deep breath, and then set his backpack down next to him. Sasuke could hear how heavy it was.

"...Well..." He took a deep breath. "I'll just get right to the point."

Sasuke raised a brow.

"...Well?"

"... _**Sasuke Uchiha. I need you to help me kill the men who murdered my mother."**_

Sasuke didn't need to think about his response at all. After decades of living, he knew the answer to questions such as these.

_**"**__**No."**_

Before Sasuke could say anything help, Shikadai had reached into his bag, and had dropped, rather loudly at that, a several large stacks of bills onto the table in front of him. Sasuke looked closely at the bills, and then wiped them slightly.

They were all thousand dollar bills.

"This is 250,000$ in dollar bills," Shikadai stated. "I'm willing to give you all of this if you help me-."

_**"I said no, Shikadai."**_

"... I've planned everything out. We would have to leave today, but we would get to Sunagakure quick-."

"He said _no, _Shikadai."

Shikadai immediately turned to the source of the new voice, turning to his side to see a door that he hadn't seen before. Standing in that doorway...

Was the 6th Hokage, Kakashi Hatake.

"..._**Shit**_-."

"Watch your mouth, Shikadai. Now, we've been over this-."

Shikadai quickly moved to stand, and then tried to rush past the former Hokage and his student to reach the door that he had came in through, slugging his backpack over his shoulder as he did so. He, however, was an academy student, and his opponents were a former Kage and the head of the Police Force. Needless to say, it didn't work. Needless to say, it only took a simple hand gesture for Kakashi to have Shikadai hogtied, and it only took a moment for the former Hokage to sit the boy back up in his seat, leaning him against the wall. While the boy was completely immobile, Kakashi moved over to the table, and then began to look over the bills that he had placed on the table.

"Sasuke, what was that?" Sakura's voice came pouring into the room from the door behind them. Shikadai watched as Sasuke took a sip out of his cup, and then calmly answered his wife.

"Nothing. I can handle it."

"Okay. Let me know if you three need anything."

Shikadai began to squirm in his position, while Kakashi ran his hands over the bills that he had placed on the counter in front of him.

"This is a lot of money, isn't it?" He mused. Shikadai was successful in wriggling one of his arms out of his bindings, but Kakashi simply had to snap his fingers to put the boy back into his bindings. Shikadai cried out, and Kakashi shook his head slowly.

"Sorry, but it seems that this is the only way you're going to learn." Once he was finished saying that, he took Shikadai's backpack, opened the top and main pocket, held it upside down, and watched as a multitude of Ninja tools fell out of it, and onto the table. Some of them stuck into the wood, and Sasuke frowned, knowing that Sakura would probably chew him out about it later. Finally, a notebook fell out of the bag.

"Let's see... five weighted kunai, thirty five shuriken, a giant shuriken, eight food pills, and ten explosive tags. Tsk tsk tsk. Something tells me that your father didn't authorize these purchases. Nor did he authorize the money that you offered Sasuke..."

Shikadai growled, and Kakashi narrowed his eyes, before taking up the book that he had wanted to take up for hours now.

"..._Abilities of Kankuro. Abilities of Gaara. Possible countermeasures. _Well, I can tell that you're Shikamaru's son. The planning that you've put into this is beyond a typical 7 year old. But-."

"Just shut up! Let me go!"

"I'm afraid we can't let that happen, at least not anymore. We've been looking for you for the entire day now, and, by coincidence, Tenten's Weapon Shop reported the _theft _of the tools that you seem to have here. Not to mention the fact that you broke into the archives this morning. By all rights, we should be writing you up, fining you, and giving you a criminal record. In reality, your Ninja career should already be over..."

Shikadai gulped, but was surprised at the same time. While weeks earlier, he would have been more angered and scared by the fact that he might be disqualified from becoming a Ninja, his present feelings weren't being dictated by his ability to gain a Headband. Instead, his anger was more related to the fact that during this entire scolding, the man in front of him, Sasuke, hadn't made much of a noise, nor had Shikadai figured that he was paying much attention to him. Even though he had offered him a fortune. Even though he had asked him for help.

In truth, that was pissing him off more than his former Kage scolding him. At least, it did until Kakashi continued.

"...But I suppose this is simple adolescent mischief. You're still under the age of ten, and we can't really give a seven year old a criminal record. So, you're in luck. You don't lose your chance and becoming a Ninja..."

Kakashi then began to slowly place the items Shikadai had brought back into his backpack, doing it neatly, and then closed the bag. He placed the bag next to the table, and then finished his speak

"... _**However, we **__**are **__**going to tell your father."**_

Shikadai began to squirm again, but Kakashi simply tightened the ropes once again. In front of him, Sasuke took another sip out of his glass, once again not paying the boy who had come to him much of a mind.

Finally, Shikadai snapped. Kakashi was going to regret not binding his lips.

"NO!"

"_Yes, _Shikadai. You should be happy. We're essentially saving you life, and making sure that you have a future-."

"No you're not! You're just-."

"Calm down, Shikadai. Whatever plan you had in the beginning was a stupid one, and the only thing it was going to do was get you killed. You don't nee-."

"YES I DO!"

Kakashi moved to try and pick the boy up, but Shikadai rolled himself over so that it was a bit harder for him. Kakashi grabbed him by his collar, rather harshly, and then took a deep breath. Sasuke took another breath. Shikadai's eyes snapped to him.

"And how can you just SIT there and do NOTHING?"

Kakashi lifted the boy up, and Shikadai continued to yell and scream. Whatever planning he had done earlier was going to waste. He was starting to act, and look, like a seven year old again.

"I offered you a fortune! Why didn't you take it?!"

Kakashi signed, and then scowled a little deeper.

"And how... how can you guys just... sit around.. stand around here... judging me... telling me what the hell I should do... You've... you two have _**never **_been through what I've been through! You two don't understand! So how can you tell me what do with this, huh!? How can you tell me what to do-."

"**Kakashi-sensei, drop the boy."**

With a thud, Shikadai fell back onto the cushion that he had been sitting on previously, and then was sat back up. Shikadai was momentarily dazed by the fall, but he quickly recovered, and soon found himself staring at Sasuke once again.

But now, the man's demeanour was changed.

For one, sometime during the time he had fallen and from the time he had last spoken, he had broken his tea cup, and now the table in front of them was wet with the herbal liquor. His eyes were darker now, and narrowed more intensely on the boy in front of him. And a scowl had appeared, something that wasn't there before.

And when he spoke, Shikadai noticed that his tone was at least a million times harsher, each word hitting the boy like a ton of bricks.

"Listen, kid. You're not the _**only **_one who's lost their Mom. Hell, you're not even the only one in this _**room **_who's had to grow up without one."

Kakashi's face slowly took a dark turn, and Shikadai's face began to slowly lose it's colour. Before he could make any other movements or statements, Sasuke had taken a deep breath, and then closed his eyes.

"You're seven and your Mom's dead? Wow, when _I _was seven I _wish _my mother had been the _only_ one who was killed."

Shikadai began to feel sick as Sasuke's gaze on him intensified.

"When I was seven years of age, I _wish _my father had been spared..."

The more and more Sasuke spoke, the more and more it took on a barking tone.

"When I was seven, I _**wish **_I still had clan members to love and care for me..."

Shikadai tried to look away from him, but the mans' gaze was near hypnotic.

"Do you want to know what happened when I was your age? You're telling me that your mother died, and that's why we can't speak to you, and that's why we can't tell you what to do. But when I was a seven, my _**entire clan was murdered in front of my own eyes. By my own brother. Do you even HAVE a brother?"**_

Shikadai's eyes widened at the realization. While everyone at his school had mentioned that Sasuke Uchiha had a dark past, he had never expected it to be this devoid of light. And as he continued to tell his story, Shikadai began to regret even bringing his own pain up.

"Do you even know what you do after your entire CLAN is murdered? Well, at the very least at least the government will take care of you, but if you ever hoped to be anything other than a Ninja, well, those dreams are crushed. You can get a pretty decent apartment if you'd like. Your Ninja tools for school are free. But, do you know what's not free? What you're never going to get back again? Your parents. Your family. Your clan."

Kakashi cooled off, and then leaned up against a wall. Shikadai's eyes were still trapped by the Uchiha's glare.

"And... just like you... I wanted revenge. Just like you, I wanted to stab the living _**shit **_out of my brother. I wanted to murder him. I wanted to get revenge on him, so that at least I'd get some sort of closure. And because of that, I wasted my ENTIRE childhood, neglected any of the friends I might have made, ignored my sensei, and eventually, ended up leaving the village, following Orochimaru. Getting drunk on power. Harming my friends. All so I could finally get back at my own brother."

There was a pause. Shikadai could swear that he was seeing red within the mans' eyes now.

"And once I DID kill my _**brother**_, I found that that wasn't enough for me. I found out who had truly killed my clan, my own village. Members of my own village. And because of the man I was then, I did not care about the _members _who had brought harm onto mine. I cared about the _entire structure_. And so I worked to actively _destroy my village_. Once again, all born out of that hatred I gained from my murdered clan. Born out of _**revenge."**_

Sasuke stood up, and by now Shikadai was actively trying to disconnect his eyes from the man in front of him. His eyes weren't just making him feel sick. They were making him feel weak. They were making him feel helpless. As if he was dying.

"Kakashi's story is similarly _**fucked up**_. Hell, my own _**wife's **_endured pain as well. Have you ever talked to your _**father **_about who _**he's **_lost? _**Most **_of the Ninja in this village have experienced a degree of loss. And if you seriously think that just because you've lost your mother that you can now lord over us, and disrespect us, and ignore us, even when we're giving you another chance at living better, then you've got a completely different thing coming!"

Shikadai could definitely see red in his eyes now.

"But the thing that most of the ninja in this village do NOT do, is that we do NOT put ourselves in danger by seeking some sort of petty revenge. We acknowledge the people who've died, and we honour them by LIVING. My story should be a rarity, and it SHOULD be laughed at. It SHOULD be ridicul-."

"You... you... you didn't' have to watch... you didn't have... I never even got to see my mother die. They wouldn't' even let me say goodbye! And you're saying... you're saying-."

"I'm not saying that what you've lost isn't great. What I'm saying is that there are others in this village who have lost as much, or even more than you have. And we have not turned to revenge. Because revenge isn't going to solve anything. It _**wont**_ bring your mother back. It _**wont **_help you. It'll simply bring you into a darker world, and it'll continue to pervert your mind until you end up doing things even worse than you wanted to!"

There was a pause. Shikadai slowly noticed the red from Sasuke's eyes fade away, and Sasuke took a deep breath. Kakashi leaned himself off the wall.

Shikadai was just barely holding himself in. Sasuke could see that.

"...And the worst part is... you know that what I say is right. You know that what I'm saying is the truth. You've probably known all along. You're not stupid, you've heard the stories. But instead of resisting the temptation, instead of doing the hard thing and learning how to live with your loss, you've decided, made a _**conscious decision **_to continue down this path. Because it's easier for you. Because... you're lazy."

Sasuke took a deep breath, and his eyes bore back into Shikadai's once again.

"... And even after all that I've said... you'll still probably still try to do this anyways, right? You'll find someone who will take your, or rather, your father's money. You'll just re-steal or re-buy the ninja tools you need. You'll keep going. You wont just let the adults handle this war, you'll try to get in it. Because that man _**hurt you,**_ and you want him _**dead**_."

Shikadai didn't breathe at all. He simply answered. There was no point in lying to either of the men in front of him.

"...Yes."

And at that, Sasuke grabbed Shikadai by his ropes, slugged the boy's bag over his shoulders, and began to carry him outside. Kakashi watched him, and he widened his eyes in confusion.

"Sasuke-."

"I'm not his Dad. This is _**Shikamaru's**_ kid. It's _**HIS **_job to step up and raise him properly. We've done all we've damn well could."

When he left the room, he nearly slammed the sliding door behind him. He began to march the boy down the hallway, him still in his bindings. Sakura saw him walk down the hallway from their kitchen.

"Sasuke, dear-"

"Not right now, Sakura."

Shikadai knew better than to speak. He was already in deep shit.

Sasuke opened the front door to his house, and began to walk towards the Nara Clan Head Residence. The sun had set from the sky.

_Ok guys, that's all for this chapter. Sorry for the delay, but I had a bit of a writer's block/ other personal issues that were making it hard to write. But, at the very least, this chapter is **now** the longest chapter in the fan fiction, beating the other one by a couple hundred words. Thanks for reading once again, and I'm going to see if i can figure out how to start replying to your reviews! Oh, and R&amp;R. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible!_

_Also, for those who wanted it, soon there's going to be some actual action in this fan fiction. I'm just sort of setting up the emotional set pieces right now, I suppose. Once again, thanks for reading!_


	23. Work

_AN: Alright guys. It's time to get to what you've all been waiting for: Shikadai getting chewed out by his father. Well, I doubt you've all been waiting for that, but I should mention that this is the chapter where everything gets better. At least… a little bit. _

_I had a really hard time writing this chapter, so that's one of the reasons why it's relatively shorter and why it's coming out a bit late. I will try to get the 2nd one out by the end of this week, but I'm not 100% sure if I'll get enough time to work on it. Either way, thanks a lot for reading it and thanks a lot for your patience, guys!_

_Once again, I do not own any of the characters, and I do not own Naruto._

Shikamaru Nara took a deep breath, and then finished placing the piece of mackerel on his plate. He moved a little over to the side, and then scooped himself a large spoonful of rice, plopping it onto his plate. He them calmly closed both of the pots from which he had taken food, and slowly moved himself to sit at the head of his kitchen table. Once he was seated, he reached over to slowly dim the lights, and then took a deep breath. After a moment of stillness, he allowed his tense and tired eyes to pan towards the window, revealing the remainder of the sun's rays, that were making the cloudy sunset red the sky, if only for a few more minutes. His eyes then turned to the clock just below that window on the ledge, and took a deep breath once he saw it's contents.

8:30pm. Shikadai should have been home by now.

The fact that he wasn't was slowly eating away at Shikamaru's already unstable physique. His school ended at 3:30pm, at the latest he would show up at around 4:15 if he dwaddled. He hadn't been able to listen to the message that he had received earlier, a glitch within the machine preventing him, and Kurenai's own personal search had yielded no results. She had to call it off, so Shikamaru thanked her, but found himself helpless to go search for his son. Kurenai told him to relax. If he left, what if Shikadai came back? And where would he search for his boy?

Therefore, the past few hours he had spent trying to make himself busy. Temari had been right on her deathbed, she did leave instructions for him. Instructions for how and what he should cook, instructions to where things were, a detailed version of her own personal daily routine-.

Shikamaru needed to keep his mind off of her. Thankfully, a rough couple of knocks on his front door were enough to do so.

It was late in the evening now, but anyone visiting him was welcome, especially if they had news of where his son had went off to. Or perhaps it was Shikadai himself, and he had lost or forgotten his key. As the possibilities arose, the man slowly left his chair, and then walked his way over to his front door. Once he arrived there, he took a quick look through his peep hole…

To see Sasuke Uchiha standing there, holding his son in front of him, by the back of his neck.

Shikamaru immediately opened the door, whatever peace of mind he had leaving him as soon as his own mouth opened again.

"Sasu-."

Before he could say anything else, Sasuke dropped Shikadai onto his feet. Shikadai let out a moan in protest, but before either of them could move again, Sasuke reached into his kimono, and threw Shikamaru a medium sized, heavy sack. Shikamaru caught it before it reached the ground, and instinctively opened it up, zipping it open, and upon seeing it's contents, the man found his brows raising.

"What the-."

"Shikadai, why don't you tell him what it is?" Sasuke's voice was unusually harsh, even by his own standards. Below him, Shikadai looked away from both adults in the area, and towards the ground, huffing while he did it. Shikamaru's eyes drifted to his son, and he narrowed them tensely.

"Shikada-."

"It's 250,000$. Something tells me that you didn't give this to him."

Shikamaru paused for a few moments. For Shikadai to even have access to his money shouldn't have been possible. Most of his savings were in a bank, but he had kept around 300,000$ around his house in case of emergencies. He had always stored it in his room, in his closet in between a few strategy books. The fact that he had been able to take so much of it without him knowing-.

"...Where was he? What was he doing-."

Before Shikamaru could ask anymore questions, Sasuke unhooked Shikadai's knapsack from his back, and then harshly shoved it in front of Shikamaru. The other man took this other bag, and opened it up to see…

Ninja tools.

Shikamaru's mind began to warp itself as he struggled to understand exactly what he was viewing in front of him. But once again, before ideas could form within his mind…

"You weren't the only person searching for him. And these two things weren't the only thing he was doing. Kakashi first found him this morning skipping school in the _archives_, reading through one of the more _restricted _records. Later on, Tenten called in to report a theft from her shop of _these _very weapons. And finally… at the end of the night..."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru, and Shikamaru spent a few moments with his eyes stuck in it's wide position before his eyes slowly narrowed to match his. From the corner of both of their eyes, Shikadai rolled his eyes, and then simply walked past his father and went into his home, his hands in his pockets, a frown on his face. Shikamaru nearly turned to chastise him, but Sasuke finished speaking.

"He asked _**me to help him kill**_ whoever killed Temari."

Shikamaru suddenly felt deeply sick to his stomach. But before he could say another word, Sasuke simply looked away from him, and turned around to leave.

"I don't need to explain anything else."

His footsteps quickly amplified until he had walked off of Shikamaru's front porch, and was clearly on his way elsewhere. Meanwhile, Shikamaru struggled to cope with the new information he had been given, slowly closing his front door and turning himself around so that he was looking into his front hallway.

His hands quickly found themselves covering his face, and then he leaved himself against the door he had just finished closing. How could he had been so blind, and how could he had been so easily duped? His son had stolen nearly half a million dollars from him and he hadn't even been able to realise it was gone. He had gotten into the Archives without him even knowing he was there. And all of the other actions he had taken were… too advanced for someone his age. He must have been planning it all out. He must have been a genius…

Despite that, he was also stupid. And a boy his age shouldn't have had been thinking of doing something as serious as what Shikadai had been attempting to do. He was near positive that Gaara would never harm Temari's only child, but accidents happen, and _**have **_happened. And the very last thing Shikamaru needed was for Shikadai to end up like hi-.

Shikamaru threw his fist against the wall beside him, but controlled himself before he ended up breaking through the paper. He needed to keep a closer eye on his boy, and his son wasn't just going to get away with his attempt at revenge. And with that in his mind, the man walked his way in the direction that his son had gone, and into his living room.

When the man opened up the door to his living room, Shikadai didn't even move his head to address him. Shikamaru scanned the room with a dark look on his face and saw that his son had quickly taken steps to relax himself. He had taken off his over coat and had quickly thrown it behind him, it now resting on a pillow behind him. He was sitting directly in front of the T.V, and after a few moments he finally found the remote beside him and was able to switch the device on. It was already on his favourite show, and he leaned back into the pillow behind him. Shikamaru could almost feel his face getting redder each moment. He had just finished spending the entire evening worrying over a kid who didn't seem to care much about what he had done.

He closed the door behind him loudly. _That _was going to change.

"Shikadai," Shikamaru stated. His voice stopped for a few moments as he tried to think of a way to begin the conversation.

"What do you have to say for yourself."

Shikadai didn't turn his head at all, and simply continued to watch his show. Shikamaru's eyes panned from the back of his son's neck to the T.V screen in front of him. It was a documentary on the properties of Physics. Shikadai always did have an odd taste for things.

Realising that he wasn't going to get an answer this way, Shikamaru took a deep breath, and then cleared his throat.

"What do you have to say about your actions?"

Shikadai didn't respond, and instead Shikamaru watched as he lifted the converter in his hands and turned up the volume. There was no mistaking it now.

"Shikadai Nara, I know you heard me the first few times," Shikamaru repeated again, his voice now turning into a low growl. "Turn off the TV, turn around, and give me an explanation of what you've done today."

Shikadai turned up the TV louder. The narrator's voice was beginning to get on Shikamaru's nerves, along with the other things that were eating away at his mind more rapidly than before. Today was not his day.

He turned himself around, and left the room that his son was in silently, his years as a Ninja allowing him to leave the room without Shikadai even noticing. He moved himself to where he had left the bags of things that Shikadai had stolen, and reached into it slowly, taking out a Kunai. A few moments were spent simply looking at the blade then, measuring it's length with his eyes, acknowledging it's weight with his senses, and feeling it's texture with his fingers. If there was one thing that he could be proud of this day, it was that Shikadai at least knew how to pick his Kunai well.

He was going to regret it in a moment.

He zipped up his son's knapsack of contraband, and then made his way back into the living room, closing the door behind him and entering without a sound. His son was still watching his show, and, conveniently, the narrator was just finishing his speak on Force, Mass, and Acceleration.

"Force is mass multiplied by acceleration."

_Find the force of this._

And without another though, Shikamaru had thrown the kunai in his hand straight into the middle of the TV.

Shikadai immediately found himself jumping back, off of his pillow and back onto the floor, only being held up by his arms. The TV had a giant hole in the middle of it now, and it had turned off as a precaution. Frantically, the boy reached for his converter once again, and began to press random buttons, trying to make it turn back on, all of these failing. Finally, he turned himself around to see the source of his lack of programming, to see Shikamaru standing by the door. This time, Shikamaru let the door close loudly.

And here they were. The two males in together in a room with a now broken TV. Father and Son. Two generations of the same clan. Preparing to have a discussion that neither of them truly wanted.

"I'll ask again. Shikadai, _what do you have to say for yourself?"_

Shikamaru's voice came out calmly, yet Shikadai could still tell that his father was a little bit on edge. He didn't care, however. He relaxed himself on his pillow once again, and then took a deep breath.

"Nothing."

Shikamaru locked eyes with his son, and then began to scowl.

"Nothing?"

"What are you even talking about? What actions-."

"You stealing from Tenten, for example."

Shikadai shrugged nonchalantly. Shikamaru scowled deeper.

"You being in the archives despite not being allowed to."

Shikadai shrugged once again and then rolled his eyes.

"You took nearly half a million dollars from me without my permission-."

"Are we done yet?" Shikadai snapped, his face taking on a bored and annoyed look. "This is a waste of time-."

"You skipped school-."

"Pfft. I never study any ways-."

"And why were you at the Uchiha residence today? To the point where Sasuke himself had to bring you back here."

Shikadai and Shikamaru's eyes slowly locked together again. Shikadai took a deep breath, and then turned away. Shikamaru felt his face turn a new shade of red.

"Don't turn your back on me. Answer my questions-."

"I don't need to tell _you _anything," Shikadai spat. He simply turned himself so that he was facing a wall, and made no other movements.

"Actually, yes you do. I'm your father-."

"Some 'Father" you are-."

"_What did you say to me?" _Shikamaru could feel a vein nearly pop in his head. He turned his eyes back to Shikadai to see that the boy had gotten up from his position facing the wall, and was now standing in front of him. Shikadai looked past his father, and rather towards the door that was behind him. He let out a sigh.

"Move."

Shikamaru looked down at his son.

"...What did you ju-."

"I said move. I'm going to my room."

When Shikamaru didn't move quick enough for his liking, Shikadai moved to Shikamaru's side to try and get past him, walking slow enough for Shikamaru to place a foot in his way, and then slide his body so that he was in front of his boy once again. Shikadai visibly frowned at this, and then tried to pass him via his other side, only for his father to walk into his way once again. Shikamaru growled. Shikadai's antics were getting annoying.

"You and I both know that that's no way to speak to your father-."

"Blah blah blah, whatever Dad. You're not _**my Mom."**_

__Shikamaru felt something hit his chest form the inside, and then took a breath.

"...What did you say-."

"Why are you even here? Why don't you just go back to the kitchen and cry or smoke some more? That's all you ever do, anyway."

Shikadai moved himself to the other side of his father, only for Shikamaru to follow his movements again. All throughout their 'conversation', Shikamaru could notice that something was becoming increasingly worrying about Shikadai. Something was happening within the boy that he had never seen happen before. Something was bothering him.

Something told him that soon he would figure it out.

"Shikadai." Shikamaru's voice was now giving off a almost primal warning. "Stand still and answer my questions."

"What questions?" Shikadai spat once again. "Oh, those ones. It doesn't matter. Get out of my way-."

"Why? So that you can try and do the same things tomorrow? Shikadai, give me the answers that I want, _now."_

"The answers that you want? Okay. I'm a bad kid. End of conversation."

"That isn't what I meant and you know it. Answer my questions properly and truthfully. And don't keep me waiting."

"Or what? Or you're going to cry aga-."

Shikamaru felt himself clench his fists, and watched as Shikadai flinched as his actions. It didn't matter. The boy needed to watch his mouth.

"Shikadai Nara. Answers, now-."

"I don't have to tell you anything-."

"_**I am your father and this is **__**my **__**house that you're living in. Unless you want to be kicked out, tell me what you were doing today, and tell me why."**_

__Shikamaru hated to have to play that card, but Shikadai wasn't co-operating in the slightest. He was at his wits end. Temari had spent more time with him, Temari knew better than he did on how Shikadai ticked. He was grasping at the straws.

"I don't want to talk about it-."

"Like I told you earlier, you don't have a choice."

"Ugh, screw this."

Shikadai once again tried to walk past his father. His father once again walked in between him and the door. Shikadai let out an exasperated groan, and Shikamaru steeled his voice one more time.

"Shikadai. Why were you in the Archives, why did you steal my money, why did you steal from Tenten's weapon shop, and why did you ask Sasuke to help you kill the man who killed your Mother?-"

"_**Because if I didn't do it then you wouldn't have done SHIT about it!"**_

__Shikamaru blinked, and then watched as his son's face took on a more serious, committed tone. He didn't back down, and simply continued to stare down at his son, finally being able to get to the bottom of his actions.

"If I didn't go out there today, you wouldn't have done anything about her death! You wouldn't have went out, you wouldn't have avenged her at all! You would've just continued to do what you've been doing for this entire week, sitting around, moping, crying, smoking until you fall asleep! That's all you ever do-"

"Watch what you say, _**boy**_," Shikamaru harshly interrupted. The very last thing he was going to do was let his own son berate him, especially with the day he had been having. "You have no idea what you were getting yourself into. Do you even know how _**powerful **_the Kazekage _**and **_his brother are? If you continued on with your _**stupid **_plan, you would've been _**killed. **_It doesn't matter who you convinced to come with you! You would've have been _**MURDERED! **_Is that what you want to be? _**Dead? **_Before you even hit Genin-."

"Being _**dead **_is still one THOUSAND times better than sitting around here and doing absolutely NOTHING like you! But then again, I guess one of the reasons why you can't relate to me is because you're a lazy FAILURE and that's all you've ever been!"

Shikamaru thought of speaking up again, but before he could do so his son moved his way back into his conversation, allowing his anger to come out, his young voice almost commanding the room around him.

"Everyone always speaks so highly of you. 'Shikamaru, Konoha's Great Stag.' 'Shikamaru, Konoha's Genius Strategist.' 'Shikamaru, the greatest General the Leaf has ever had.' But all of those titles are LIES. You don't DESERVE THEM! If you're so awesome, how comes you've been fighting a war for _**ten **_years?! That's what all of the adults say, that you've been in charge of our forces for 10 years, yet the end of the war still isn't in sight! If you're so cool, how comes the union fell apart, huh!? That's what everyone talks about, how the Shinobi of the world had a union, and you were a senior member of it, and you're telling me that you couldn't make sure it didn't break!? If you're… if you're so great, then how comes you were helpless on that day, huh!? _**If you're such a smart, strong guy, how come you let them kill my Mom!?**_"

Suddenly, Shikadai watched as Shikamaru threw his hands in front of his son, his fingers outstretched, his hands wide and his palms focused. Shikadai immediately flinched, and found himself taking a step backwards out of his father's reach. Shikamaru quickly caught onto what his anger was causing him to do, and then slowly looked over the scene in front of him.

There was a scary silence then. Faintly in both of their ears, both Nara could still hear the electricity from the TV radiate through the Kunai that Shikamaru had thrown through it. The silence slowly lessened as their breaths began to enter the fray. Both father and son looked over one another, neither of them changing their stances. It soon became abundantly clear to Shikamaru what he himself had almost done.

_… I almost put my hands on my kid…_

He took a deep breath, and then crossed his arms in front of him, resting them against his chest, and leaned up once again. From his position below him, Shikadai looked up at his father and then slowly stood up straight again. The silence persisted, and soon the kunai's radiance became quiet as well. The light from outside the windows finally faded, and the sun was finally completely divorced from the sky. More moments passed, as neither party dared to move, nor talk. As time passed, light slowly began to fade more and more from the room, until both the inside and outside was as dark as a cave.

And when he was completely within his element, Shikamaru spoke again, his words coming out more like a bark.

"Shikadai, go to your room."

He could see his sons' angry scowl suddenly break, and his face return into a neutral, yet strong mould. To his surprise, the boy didn't say another word, and simply moved past his father, leaving the room in a quick, orderly and soundless progression. And then, Shikamaru was left in his living room, with his broken TV and his dark, outside sky. His walls filled with paintings of deer, the moonlight from the sky shining in.

And after a few moments, when he knew he was alone, he let out a deep breath, and slowly made his way to the window, before stopping and looking up at the moon.

"...Temari…. How'd you do it?"

Despite Shikadai's earlier insistence that his mother was troublesome, and his overall lazy attitude, when Temari was alive, his house had experienced fights, but only a few of this magnitude. Even when there were fights, usually disputes over house work, they never became personal. Each member of the family knew how to respect each other, and thus things were easy for all three of them.

Of course, this sort of easiness was only from his perspective. The perspective of a father that, for the longest time, was not at home. And the few times he had been, he hadn't exactly showed his son his greatest side, nor his strongest. And now that his Mother was dead, the parent that, for the most part, had been there for him...

Shikamaru allowed his eyes to close, and then took a deep breath. His son didn't trust him because his son didn't _know _him. And it was a hellish time for him, but it was probably traumatizing to his boy as well. His loved his Mother. And now his mother was gone without warning. Taken by her own brothers.

_At least he doesn't know that part. Heaven knows what the poor kid would do if he found that out._

He continued to look outside his window and into the moon, allowing more time to pass. He needed to prove himself to his son, and his son needed to be comforted. And whatever ideas of revenge the boy still kept within him needed to be erased as quickly as they had come to him. He couldn't allow his son to end up like Sasuke had.

He couldn't let his son end up dead.

He cringed, and then slowly backed away from the light of the moon, and back into the darkness of his home. He needed to go talk to his son, but first he spent some time in his living room, cleaning it up and making sure that it was at least moderately presentable. He placed the cushions back in their positions, turned the TV around so that it faced the wall, and then slowly moved his way to the door of the room. Looking over his work and seeing that the room at least looked halfway decent now, until of course he replaced the TV, he turned himself around, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

As he walked his way towards Shikadai's room, his eyes drifted and began to follow the intricate designs on the walls around him. While there wasn't any lights on, Shikamaru had spent a lot of his life in the dark, and was able to see the familiar designs of his childhood. A deer prancing around a stag, the stag and a nearby doe looking proud of their fawn. Three fawn playing with each other in a open field-.

And then, Shikamaru heard crying. And the closer and closer he got himself to Shikadai's room, the louder and louder the cries were.

He raised a brow when he got to his son's door, it being decorated with an intricate painting of a fawn, and then he took a deep breath. He initially thought that he was hearing things, but now that he was standing directly in front of his son's room, he could definitely hear the sniffles and soft cries that were typical of a young man's crying. Paralysed by the revelation, he spent a few more moments outside of his son's door, listening as his cries gradually got louder, before he finally began to stifle them, and they began to get softer and softer. Shikamaru took a deep breath.

_He's 7. _The thought kept on repeating in his head as he slowly opened the door to his son's room, and then walked in silently.

Like the rest of the house, Shikadai's room was dark. However, just like the rest of the house, Shikamaru could still clearly see everything that was in the area. He closed the door behind him, silent so that his son wouldn't be able to hear that someone had entered his room, and then spent a few moments looking over the room. It had been the same room that had once served as Shikadai's nursery, and while him and Temari had done a good job at changing it into a room for a growing boy, he could still visualize where things used to be. His bed was facing the wall in a corner, that was where his crib used to be. On the opposite wall was Shikadai's desk, and right next to his bed was his dresser full of clothes.

There was another harsh sob, and Shikamaru looked up to the bed where Shikadai was currently trying to hide his cries.

The boy was sitting on the side of his bed, sitting down on it, his face deep within his pillow. He could still hear the cries coming from the boy, although the pillow was doing an excellent job masquerading his sorrow. He had taken his hair out of his ponytail, and Shikamaru could faintly see his hair tie on the other side of the room, on the floor of his dresser. Shikadai hadn't gotten himself into his pyjamas yet. He hadn't even rolled down the sheets to his bed.

Shikamaru could feel his heart swell, and then took a soft breath. For a moment, he wondered if his intervention was going to help his son at all. He knew well that when he was his age, he also felt similarly about his father, but for different, less serious reasons. He didn't' really want to spend a lot of time with his own old man, and seemed to be content to deal with whatever issue that came his way by himself. And with how much Shikadai hated him right now, him being here might make matters even worse.

His eyes closed, and then he shook his head. He didn't even need to think about this. His son was 7 years old, and he had just lost his mother. His family had just gotten a whole lot smaller, and the very last thing he needed now was an emotionally distant father.

And so with that in mind, Shikamaru continued his soundless walk towards his son, and then slowly set himself down on the bed right next to him. The boy didn't notice his father's presence at first, but the moment that Shikamaru extended his right arm to wrap around him and rest on his shoulder, Shikadai stopped his sobs. Before the boy could lift his head from his pillow, Shikamaru was able to get a few words in.

"...I know you miss her. I do too."

Shikadai flinched, and then Shikamaru saw him push his head into his pillow more, clearly trying to avoid this situation. In response, he simply rubbed Shikadai's shoulder a bit more, and then closed his eyes slowly.

"And it's fine to feel… angry… about what happened. I am too…."

Shikadai's sobs completely finished, and then he allowed himself to look up from his pillow and allowed one of his visible eyes to look his father in the face with his deep green eyes. Shikamaru opened his eyes as he felt one of Temari's final blessings focus on him, and Shikadai looked away sheepishly. Shikamaru continued.

"But… like you've probably heard a million times today… you _**cannot **_try and get revenge by yourself. Not even if you had a million Ninja at your back. You're just…. Too young. You need to live and… enjoy life for a longer time before you throw it all away to avenge another…."

Shikadai pulled his face from his pillow completely, and Shikamaru fell silent for a few moments. He was never really all that good at explaining emotional things to others, but he was trying his best. He could only hope that it was working.

"… _**I'll **_take care of what happened to your Mother. It's my duty as your father and as your Mother's husband to track down the people who killed her, and give them punishment. Your only duty is to… well… get bigger and grow up..."

Shikadai's eyes left Shikamaru's again, and Shikamaru had a feeling that whatever he was saying wasn't working. But he would try. If there was one thing he learned from Temari, it was that he had to keep trying.

"...You're right about… some things, though. This war… is a _**mess. **_The past ten years _have _been Hell. But a lot of the reasons why it's like this now, well. It's because of the other side of the war..."

Shikadai was listening again, but Shikamaru had turned his attentions to his own hands in front of him, resting ons his knees. He narrowed his eyes, and allowed himself to look away from his son for a few moments.

"...And another thing you have to remember is that everyone makes mistakes. Some people… make mistakes that are much bigger than others. Others make a lot of little mistakes. But mistakes… accidents… they're a part of human nature. You can't stop them."

Shikadai was looking at his father intently now. Shikamaru was beginning to get tired of talking, but he knew that his son needed to hear what he had to say. At the very least, he had to make this point work.

"And everyone in this world has Flaws..." He turned himself to look at his son, and gave the boy with the deep green eyes a small, comforting smile. Shikadai's brows widened as he spoke the next few words.

"Our flaw is that we're lazy as Hell."

Both father and son smirked at this a bit, and Shikamaru continued, his voice slowly gaining strength as he went on.

"Tell you the truth, our Hokage's flaw is that he's a bit of a doofus. Your Uncle Choji's flaw is that he can be a bit of a glutton sometimes. Your Aunt Ino? Too controlling. Too bossy. I could give you a _list _of what's wrong with her."

Shikadai gave out a louder chuckle, and then Shikamaru smiled back.

"But there's one thing about our flaws and our mistakes; if we're strong enough, we can overcome them. If we're strong enough, we can get past them. If we're strong enough, we can still be _great. _Now believe me, it's _hard _to do, but if you can do it, it's worth it._"_

"And… that's what I'm going to have to do. That's what I _have _been doing. Working my ass off on the battlefield each day, all nighters at the Hokage Office, coming back late. I've been battling my flaws, working to fix my mistakes. Working so that _you _wouldn't have to live with them…"

Shikamaru's smile turned sad, and then he moved his eyes to look into his son's directly.

"...But it looks like no matter how much you try to wash away your sins, some of them come back to haunt you… like it did with Me your Mom..."

Shikadai's face turned sad as well, and his father continued.

"...Some people at the hospital told me that you were out there. That you saw the Kazekage with your own two eyes, that you had to look over your parents. That you saw all that blood… all that suffering… I'm sorry. You never should have had to see that."

"And for that reason… I'll deal with that man for you. But you need to let me, us, the _adults, _handle it. Your only duty is to go to school and have fun. This… war business isn't for you."

There was another pause. Shikadai was looking more hopeful now, and Shikamaru nodded.

"..._We have to cherish the memories that we have of our loved ones..._" He quoted, his mind moving fast to remember the words that Kurenai had told him. "_And once we've left this world, we'll seem them again. But in the meantime, we've got work to do. _Well, I've got work. You, on the other hand, have school in the morning..."

Shikadai noticeably cringed when he heard of the mention of school, and Shikamaru let out a light chuckle.

"What's the matter? Is school-."

"Troublesome, yeah…." Shikadai sighed.

"But… I guess you're right. I've got to go back...Sorry… I'm just..."

"I… I understand," Shikamaru said. Shikadai's head was completely above ground now, and, seeing a few residue tears linger on his son's face, he reached his other hand over to wipe a few of them away directly. Then, he offered his son a deeper smile.

"Whatever you do… don't let yourself feel defeated for too long. I mean… look up. We're _Nara. _We're smart, we're brave. We… we knew...her.We were lucky enough to live in you Mother's lives. And because of that… we're going to be okay. We're already strong."

Shikamaru kept Shikadai in his arm and patted him on his back. After a few more moments, Shikamaru spoke some more words to his son.

"….And don't worry. I'm going to spend some more time with you, okay? When I can."

Shikadai's face seemed to brighten up, and his eyes looked up into his fathers once again.

"...Can we go out to eat when you do… though?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

Shikadai blushed.

"….I miss my Mom's food. Yours..."

"Is crap?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

The two chuckled to each other, and Shikamaru leaned himself forwards. Shikadai took a few moments of silence, and then slowly edged himself closer to his father.

"… You'll… you'll handle the people who… killed… Mom?"

"Definitely. Don't worry about it. You just go to school. You just… grow."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.

"Although… tomorrow morning wont be all about school. We're going to have a pretty busy morning..."

"Troublesome-."

"And that's my word. Don't wear it out."

Shikadai looked up at his Dad, shrugged, and then smiled slowly, and wide. Looking less like a depressed son, and more like the one Shikamaru and Temari made years ago.

"No problem...Dad."

"...I'll show you what I've been doing all these years, Shikadai. And all I'll need you to do is work with me. So that what we both want can come into reality..."

"...Alright Dad. I will-."

And with that, Shikadai allowed himself to give out a yawn, revealing the night's late hour. Meanwhile, Shikamaru let out his own yawn, and the two of them laughed at their similarities. A few more minutes passed, before Shikamaru was comfortable to let Shikadai sleep, having made sure that he had learned his lesson, giving his son a kiss on his forehead before he left. And after he closed the door to his son's room, Shikamaru was alone in his hallway once again.

And with this loneliness came thought…

_"__I wont kill them. It… I wont kill them personally. Not hand to hand. It… it will be someone else, if they end up dead. I promise that."_

Thoughts that he didn't want to think of for a very long time.

_Like I said it's a bit shorter than the last 2 but I think people will like this one. It's ending is positive. The next chapter will also be more light hearted. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Remember to R and R!_


	24. Confrontation

_AN: Aaannndd it looks like we're back, folks! This chapter is a bit of filler, but near the end things start to pick up again. Like I said earlier, I know What I want to write, but I'm just thinking of ways on how I can write it. So if you guys could just continue to be patient, that would work out well for me. Also, school's starting for me again and I'm trying to get a Summer job now, so finding time to write might be a little bit harder, but once June ends I'll try to get chapters out once a week. From what I'm thinking, I think I should have the entire fanfiction finished by next year, but we'll see. I don't even know how much I have left to write yet, lol. _

_I would also like to apologize for the 5 day lateness. I had a lot of school work to do, so i had to stop writing for a while. However, I'm working on trying to get a mini-chapter out by the end of this weekend, or at least by next Wednesday. Then, I can finish this little "Story arc", and move onto the next one._

_Once again , I do not own Naruto, nor do I own any of the characters in this Fanfiction. _

_What is Eden? Who was the girl? What the hell were they planning? _

The questions rung through Ino's head in the middle of the night. In the darkness of her master bedroom, lying on the right side of her bed. As the wind outside gave a light breeze, as the moon attempted to pour in from her open windows. As her husband Sai snored softly beside her, and as the events from the day before began to play back within her head.

It hadn't been a hard evening. After she had left Kankuro's mind, she had simply told her team everything that she was prepared to tell them. The snake, the draft, and Kankuro's mutterings. She couldn't get anything more out of the man until her chakra levels were right again, so she had ordered them to take the still-comatose man back to his cell, and she had tried to hypothesize some things with her team. After hours of deliberation, she went home, helped Sai to finish their dinner, plated and served her Men some food, and then went to bed.

A typical night. Albeit, without typical thoughts.

Of course, she was partially used to this process by now. Usually when she had finished interrogating someone, the same process happened. She would find out the Who, What, When, Where, Why and Hows. It usually didn't take her too long to give an approximate date to the memories she viewed, and usually they were clear and straightforwards, making it easy for her and her team to figure it out. Any relevant information would be sent to the Hokage's office, and usually, when the information was helpful enough, the Interrogation Force would be given a few days off as a reward for their good work.

But not this time. While she had some information mostly correct, there was still a lot that she needed, which meant that she would have to pry into more of Kankuro's memories. The Who was obviously the Puppeteer. What was most likely whatever Eden was. The when, where, why and hows were a cloud to her, and the when was especially hard to figure out because of the other new information that she had found out today.

The fact that Kankuro had a daughter.

She felt a small headache begin within her head, and she slowly moved one of her hands, to place it upon her forehead. She could briefly see her husband shuffle, being momentarily disturbed by the change in position, before he stilled again. Knowing that he wasn't being bothered by her fidgeting, she sighed deeply, and then leaned her head back against her pillow once again, now with both of her hands covering her forehead.

It hadn't just been a long day for her. Her husband had only recently gotten back from a particularly long and difficult reconnaissance mission in the Land of Wind, and every motion that he had made during the day implied that it wasn't a very successful one. Ideas of why the mission might have been difficult for him began to swirl through her mind, before her headache returned, and she let out a light, quiet moan-

Which was loud enough for Sai to be finally woken from his slumber, and instinctively reach out one of his hands for her, resting it on her shoulder.

Ino flinched, and then her eyes wandered back to her husband. Sai had been facing the other side of the bed, but now she could see him slowly roll himself over to face her side of the bed. His mouth opened up wide to let out a quiet, soundless yawn, before his land left her shoulder to join his other in the air, as he reached up to stretch. After a few moments, his hands returned to their place underneath their sheets, his eyes opened, and he found himself slowly turning his head so that he could face his wife directly. After a few moments of allowing his near obsidian eyes to look over her situation, lying up in bed in the middle of the night with her hands over her forehead, his lips parted.

"...Something wrong, beautiful?"

Ino couldn't help but blush. It had been over twenty years since he first started, and Sai still called her that. Even though the man knew damn well that there were other things he could call his wife, the nostalgia was too good to let pass up. After a few moments of registering his nickname for her, Ino realized that he was due for a greeting himself.

"Naaah," she said softly. "Just a bad dream. You can go back to bed... _cutie."_

Now it was Sai's time to blush. Unlike him, Ino always liked to switch her nicknames up, to always keep him on guard. At the beginning of their relationship, she did it so Sai could learn and get used to different synonyms. Now she just did it out of habit.

Still, it _had _been twenty years. And within those twenty years, Sai had been able to learn to tell when Ino was lying.

"Oh. You're _fine, _are you?"

"Yep. You can go back to bed. You've had a long day, anyways."

Ino gave him a smile to try and deflect him away. As close as the two were, she really didn't want to say anything more to him about the incident than she had already told him earlier in the day.

But unfortunately for her, Sai was persistent.

"...If there was nothing wrong with you... then you'd be asleep." Sai slowly moved himself so that he was sitting up.

"Come on, tell me. Maybe I can find a way to help-."

"It's just a headache. A regular old headache. I must've been using my chakra too much today. Nothing I can't sleep off."

"You say that, but you're still up in the middle of the night-."

"I'm _**fine, **_Sai!"

The sudden tough tone that Sai received made him jump a little in his bed. 20 years of being with her also made him know to not provoke her, as to incite her infamous temper. After a few moments of silence, however, he noticed Ino's frown slowly subside, and turn into a sorry look. She slowly moved one of her hands to wrap around Sai's shoulders, and took a deep breath.

"Sorry about that. It's just-."

"No, I get it. You said you had a long day..."

Sai took a deep breath, and then leaned in closer to her, wrapping his own arm around her shoulder. He yawned again, the time of night getting to him, before he spoke again.

"But... just remember. I'm here in case you want to talk about anything."

There was a pause as Sai slowly lowered himself onto his pillow once again, his grip of his wife fading as he relaxed himself. Ino instinctively followed him below the sheets, and there he spoke again, once both of their heads were against their pillows.

"After all... Kankuro's mind is probably a mess."

Ino nodded immediately.

"It's... like him, I suppose. He's always been like that. But... at least some of it has to be on purpose, you know? There's no way he can operate with such a cluttered mind..."

"Hm..."

Sai slowly moved so that both of his hands were behind his head, and looked up at the ceiling above the two of them. Ino slowly moved herself to lie in the crook of his side, and by the time she was finished shifting, Sai had already thought of something else to say.

"...Well... that man's unpredictable. Especially if he truly did kill-."

There was a sudden silence as Sai quickly covered his own mouth to prevent his thought from clearly coming through. It was too late, however. Now the topic of discussion was in both of their heads, jumping around from edge to edge, festering. Changing the mood of the room entirely.

Moments passed with utter silence. It had been over a week, and yet the news of her death was still fresh in their minds. It had been a few days, and yet the feelings the two had felt at her funeral still persisted. The rain. The mud. The wind. The bitter, quick tears from Ino's eyes. The attendance of Shikadai.

The look in Shikamaru's eyes.

The silence persisted, until Ino bitterly coughed out what was no doubt on both of their minds.

"... _You_ should've left him to die. Why did you have to bring him _back?"_

Sai looked down onto the sheets in front of him, avoiding Ino's question.

"...Sai-."

"You've been asking me that ever since that day."

"Because it's an important question. _**Why?"**_

__"..."

"Practically, It made sense. Now that we have him, we can find out more about Gaara's plans, and maybe even be in the position to stop him, eventually. But..."

Ino gripped one of her fists slowly. Her headache was slowly returning to her.

"...What the Hell were you even thinking? What was going through your head? I just... Just tell me. Even if you tell no one else..."

Sai was struggling with his thoughts. In truth, on that day, he had felt a million emotions. Seeing the man bleed out in that dark, dingy alley. Stripped of anything that would really identify him as who he was. Dying. Helpless.

But at the same time, Kankuro was a known murderer.

At the same time, Kankuro was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. He was Gaara's second in command, and most of Gaara's own trespasses no doubt had his own stamp of approval. The people died because of him. The children without parents, siblings without siblings, parents without children, all because of him.

The overwhelming sense of confusion continued to resonate within his mind as he slowly fixed himself on his pillow. Ino took this time to look over him, as his mind struggled to understand his own actions. The frustration rose to his face, his brows furrowing badly, and so Ino slowly leaned herself closer to him, and wrapped both of her arms around his shoulder. She reached towards his face, then, and began to slowly massage his cheekbones, as he instinctively moved his own arms to wrap around her body, bringing her to that she was nearly on top of him.

"...I think..."

Sai's words had entered the room once again, and Ino stopped her manoeuvring to look into his eyes. Upon seeing that he attention was completely on him, he felt a small tinge of nervousness, but nevertheless continued with his re found voice.

"...On that day... I didn't see Kankuro of the Black Sand. I saw... the _old _Kankuro."

Ino's eyes widened slowly, and now it was Sai's turn to comfort her, fully placing her on his chest, and then using one of his hands to caress up and down her back, making sure to reach the crevices that might have been sore so he could comfort her.

"He was... helpless. Dying. Quiet, Alone. He... he wasn't bragging about any of the people he had killed. He wasn't standing on a pile of bodies or anything like that. He wasn't proud. He was just... _dying_. Dying like... like how all of us are going to have to die one day..."

Both Ino and Sai cringed when those words left his mouth, and an uneven silence entered their room once again. Before Ino could think of more morality, however, Sai had continued.

"...And I guess when I saw him dying... I was able to think back. Back to when were younger. When he was just a regular Jonin. Even back when he was my commander in the Fourth Shinobi War. I just..."

There was another silence, and as Sai searched for hte right words to say, he continued to give Ino a light massage towards her back. Finally, his words returned, and Ino's mind became pierced with her husband's viewpoint.

"...I saw him as a _person_ again. A person who... while obviously of great interest to us... a person who could _change._ Like... it's like Naruto said... right? When this is all over... we're going to have to go back to being neighbours to their village. To them. Perhaps even allies. But during the war... we're not... we're seeing them as _monsters,_ not seeing them as _humans. _And as Kankuro was dying... I didn't see a monster. I saw someone who could be taken into custody. Someone would could be talked to, reasoned with. An obviously grizzled man, but someone with ambitions, fears and wants..."

Sai's voice trailed off, and Ino could only continue to look at him, until a final line pushed her into a state of mind numbing thought...

"...Kankuro's a _man_. I didn't kill him because he was defenceless, and because he was useful to us. But I also didn't' kill him because... there's just got to be potential in the other side, Ino. It's more comforting for me to... think that..."

He let out a loud, and rather sudden yawn, moving on of his hands to cover his mouth. Ino's mind began to whirl around her husband's words, before she noticed that he was drifting off to sleep once again. She couldn't blame him, it was very late after all, and the two of them had work in the morning. And along with the mission that he had just been on, he definitely needed the rest.

But before her husband closed his eyes to rest once again, he looked directly into her eyes, and gave her a stern, serious look.

"... I know you've heard all of Naruto's speeches. I know you've witnessed his actions over and over again. But... please listen. While you're interrogating Kankuro... remember that he's a human being... and a former comrade. And because of who he is... and _what he was..._he could open up opportunities for us that we couldn't get otherwise..."

There was another yawn from him, but this time Ino covered his mouth for him. Upon seeing this movement, Sai smiled back at her.

"...Are you sure that you're alright...?"

"Yeah. Just get some rest. I'll join you in a bit. Promise."

Sai shrugged, and then slowly closed his eyes.

"Then I'll... see you in the morning... beautiful..."

_...__You cutie. _

Ino found herself blushing at his nickname once again, before giving her husband a quick peck on the cheek. She then slowly rolled herself off of him, and laid on her back once again, looking at her ceiling once again.

She did need to get some rest as well. All of the things that she had learned through viewing Kankuro's mind were giving her too much stress, it seemed, and she wasn't supposed to deal with it all by herself anyways. She had a team of professionals at her office, people that were there to help her. Domestically, she needed to get up in time to help Sai make breakfast in the morning, and she figured that she was going to try and pry more into Inojin's feelings then as well. The boy had been acting weird during the entire evening, looking a bit sad, and asking her weird questions. She was sure that it wasn't anything bad, but , as a mother, it was still her duty to look after the little one.

Speaking of children... she still needed to figure out what she was going to do with the status of Kankuro's daughter...

If she told the proper people about it, then the infant would no doubt be used against her father. If she kept quiet about it, then there was always that chance that that particular piece of information could have helped the village when it needed it the most. And, as the war was beginning to pick up once again, the knowledge that there was another person to add to their list of "most valuable peoples" was valuable knowledge indeed...

She felt herself yawn, and then looked away from the ceiling, turning on her side, and leaning up against her husband once again. Sai didn't react this time.

At the very least, she'd keep it a secret for another day. Until she could justify that allowing her village to potentially target a child was worth it. She knew that Naruto himself wasn't bloodthirsty, but there were _plenty _of other morally dubious men and women serving on Konohagakure's council, and even within Naruto's inner circle...

And then there was Shikamaru Nara. Naruto's second in command. He was still "OOC" (Out of commission) to mourn Temari's death, but she knew that he would eventually return once again. And she had been there the last time he had sought revenge. It wasn't a pretty sight. He wasn't normally a purposely cruel man, he always avoided harming younger shinobi during his battle strategies, but he was dedicated entirely to protecting his village, and protecting his friends and family. And with his deteriorated mental state... there was no telling what he would do.

She shuddered, but despite her thoughts, sleep took her quickly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the sun's light slowly began to shine through the windows of his bedroom, Shikamaru found himself waking up on the right side of the bed for one of the first times in a long while. Of course, he'd be a fool not to, especially with his beautiful wife tucked within his arms.

As his vision slowly came back to him, the scene in front of him began to play out in front of him. His bedsheets were a bit of a mess, the comforter halfway off of the bed, only a couple of thin sheets covering both of their bodies. In front of the bed, there were two cups of tea set on a small tray, uncovered, as if someone had abandoned the drink halfway. On his chest, Temari was beginning to wake up, squirming within his arms, before she began to make more coherent moves, reaching her arms in front of him to stretch herself. When she did, he lazily moved his arms lower on her, until both of his arms were resting just above her ass. She seemed to notice this, and when she did, she slowly opened her eyes.

Those heavenly green spheres.

"Good morning," she said softly. Her voice was a bit groggy, but Shikamaru could accept it. "How was your rest?" It didn't matter to him how it sounded, all that mattered to him was that it was her voice.

He took a breath in, and then began to run his hands up and down her back, as he usually did to rouse her in the morning. Typically. Usually. Everything here was the usual for the both of them.

"It was a good rest, yeah," he muttered. He sounded groggy too, but as it was with him, she didn't care. She preferred his mutters to his snores any day. There was a pause in Shikamaru's speech, before he returned to the conversation.

"Had a pretty... weird... dream. But all that matters is reality, right?"

Temari nodded at this, and then reached forwards a hand, so that she could run it through his dark locks. Shikamaru stayed still, and subconsciously decided to spend a few more minutes here, in this bed, with his wife. For a few moments more, it seemed like that what he wished was going to happen. Him simply lying here. Temari on his chest. Sun shining through his windows, his house quiet and peaceful. With no interruptions, no issues. Purely an image of peace and quiet in the middle of their hellish war-

_ "...**You don't deserve ****it****, Shikamaru.**"_

Shikamaru's eyes left Temari's, and he scanned around his room, looking for the location of the voice that had interrupted him. Temari seemed to have heard it as well, as he was able to watch her slowly move herself so that she was lying beside him as opposed to on him. He groaned, annoyed with his wife's absence from his body, and then slowly moved himself to stand next to his bed, tying his nightgown tighter once he was standing. He looked around while standing, and yet still the location of the voice was still hidden from him. Standing tall, he let his voice enter the fray.

"Who's there?" His voice wasn't quite as commanding as he intended it to be, it being the morning time, but he supposed that it was good enough. He turned his head around to see Temari slowly scramble out of bed on the same side that he had, and join him, standing slightly behind him.

Suddenly, Shikamaru could begin to feel a deep tremor, and his room began to shake. Panic began to grip the couple. The tea in front of the bed fell off the table and spilt on the ground. And as the tremors increased their strength, he could feel himself lose balance, and he and Temari both found themselves bracing on their bed as they watched more things in their room fall. Their dresser, their side tables. Shikamaru's prized shogi board went flying towards the window, and soon the two of them began to see that whatever was happening was quickly becoming more than just an earthquake.

Instinctively, both of them bolted towards the door. Shikadai was likely still in his room, and judging by the state of their own room, chances were that he was in great danger. But when Shikamaru slid the door open...

He saw that there was nothing behind it. Except utter darkness.

_**"... **__**You don't deserve him, Shikamaru."**_

__Shikamaru turned around to see that in his absence his room had suddenly disappeared.

Temari was still standing behind him, her face tensed up in confusion and anger, but everything else was gone. The sunlight from outside was gone, the bed that they had been both lying on had disappeared. The tea tray had dissapated, and Shikamaru's prized shogi board was nowhere to be found. All that existed was the black.

Shaken, Shikamaru slowly made his way over to his wife. In awe, he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, and once he was sure that she was still there with him, he took a breath of relief. At the very least, she was there. At the very least, she could help him-. 

_**" **__**And you definitely**__**don't deserve HER, Shikamaru."**_

__The voice was coming from directly behind Shikamaru, so he turned himself around to see...

Gaara of the Sandstorm. Standing right in front of him, a deep scowl upon his face.

Before Shikamaru could say anything else, his estranged brother in law was able to get his words in.

_**"**__**You're a liar, Shikamaru. A dammed liar. All you ever do is lie..."**_

His voice trailed off, and Shikamaru felt another tremor come to his body. He found himself being thrown back onto the "ground" behind him. Temari saw this assault upon him, and quickly rushed towards him, before Shikamaru saw her being stopped, her legs being held back. He turned his head to see her suspended in motion, and then grit his teeth, scrambling on the ground to try and push himself up again. But everywhere he pushed, everywhere he attempted to touch, and everything he saw was in a state of naught. And everywhere he pushed, he could feel the darkness below lose shape and material.

Helplessly, he looked up at Temari, who still couldn't move to try and help him stand. The look on her face was terrifying, and subconsciously, Shikamaru realized that once again, the two were away from each other. The very though of which made him angry.

He continued his struggling, until he felt another tremor. This time, he didn't move, but he watched as Temari herself was thrown onto another piece of the dark, landing on her back. He grimaced immediately, and in vain, threw out a hand to try and reach for her.

Moments later, Gaara's voice would return to him once again.

_**"**__**Didn't you once tell **__**her**__** that everything was going to be fine? That the two of you were going to get through this **__**war**__**, together? **__**Alive?**__**"**_

__Shikamaru snapped his head towards Gaara's form.

"Why don't you just _**SHUT UP!?" **_He snapped. In response, he heard Temari's scream. Turning his head away, he began to notice something was going on with Temari.

Notably, her body was beginning to fade away.

_Not again..._

Shikamaru helplessly reached out for her, and made a hopeless, anguished sound.

"T-Tem? Temari?! Just... Come on! No, not again! Please not aga-."

_**"**__**You can plead all you want. But she's gone now. We... we both know that."**_

__Shikamaru continued to reach forwards, and Temari continued to reach for him as she began to fade away into the darkness. The moment that she opened up her mouth to try and say something towards him, something to comfort him, or something to at least make him stop struggling, Shikamaru noticed the dissipation accelerate. Soon, there was nothing left of her, other than her face and one of her outstretched arms. Shikamaru continued to reach. It was all he could do.

"...Temari-."

"...Sorry. I'm sorry."

And then she was gone. _**Again.**_

__Shikamaru wasn't even given enough time to mourn her loss, _**again.**_

__Because the moment that Temari was gone from the world, he saw something fall a distance away in front of him.

There was a thud, and Shikamaru allowed himself to be distracted temporarily as he narrowed his eyes, trying to extend his vision forwards. Then, there was another thud, and he turned his head behind him to watch as another thing came into view, falling a ways behind him. More thuds, and now things were falling down around him. He moved his hands around, before finding that he could stand, and so he did.

Temari's finals words were still fresh in his mind as one of the objects fell in front of him, it's arrival being punctuated with a loud thud. Shikamaru leaned himself over to inspect, and as his eyes travelled over the object, he found that it wasn't just an object. It was a body.

The dead body of a young man.

He took a step back in instinct, and Gaara's voice returned to his void.

_**"... **__**You never told her about this, did you?"**_

__Shikamaru remained voiceless, and behind him he heard another item fall onto the ground. His eyes slowly turned to view and confirm that the fallen object was another dead body, this time the body of a woman. Another body fell next to it, and another, and another. Soon, Shikamaru was standing around a carpet of corpses. All of them shinobi, all of them with wearing their headbands proudly, even in death. Varying in gender, size...

Varying in age.

Shikamaru closed his eyes, and his face turned cold nearly immediately. He could hear and feel more and more bodies fall around him. He didn't want to see it. He already knew that the number would be great.

_**"...**__**You never told her about all of these did you?"**_

__Shikamaru continued to have his eyes closed. Suddenly, he felt something fall onto him, latching onto his shoulder, and his eyes opened as a result. His eyes quickly snapped towards the intrusion of space...

And there was a corpse of a young boy on his shoulder.

He gasped out loud, and then jumped away, letting the boy's body fall onto the floor. He found himself nearly tripping over another body, before he waddled around, finding his ground on a space of black that wasn't occupied by bodies. As he young boy's body fell to the floor, the rate of bodies falling towards him began to slow, until it stopped raining corpses, and Shikamaru was simply left there, standing in front of Gaara, a sea full of cadavers around him.

The look on Shikamaru's face was horrifying, but he still made an effort to keep himself standing tall, standing strong. Meanwhile, Gaara continued to look down on him, his eyes dark with hate. There were no more bodies falling. There was only the Kazekage, and the adviser.

Soon, Gaara spoke again.

_**"...**__**And yet despite all of this, you can just stand here, unaffected-"**_

__"I never had to explain to Temari what I was doing. She... she knew what I was doing."

_**"**__**Oh, she did, did she?"**_

__Shikamaru heard a thud behind him, and he quickly turned his head to look at the new cadaver that had fallen from the sky...

Before noting the familiarity of his form, and quickly turning his head back to face Gaara head on.

_**"**__**What's the matter, Shikamaru? I thought that you were at peace with all of this."**_

__"I am. I'm just not choosing to linger in the past."

_**"**__**Oh, is that right?"**_

__Shikamaru saw another body fall down in front of him. He spent a moment looking towards it, before too realizing how familiar it was, remembering who it was, and looking away.

"That's right. Now leave me... leave me alone."

There was another thud. Shikamaru saw another body fall from the sky. He cringed.

_**"**__**No."**_

__Shikamaru saw another fall from the sky. He cringed once again.

"...This is..."

_**"**__**I'm not done yet."**_

__Shikamaru saw another body fall from the sky. He spent a moment looking towards it. Another child. He bit his lip.

_**"**__**Well, Shikamaru. Are you at peace?"**_

__Another body fell. Another child. Shikamaru gripped his fists.

_**"**__**All of these people who had to die because of you. Because of your orders, because of your village..."**_

__Another body. This time it was an old man. Shikamaru would let himself look on him for a while. At least this one had lived a long life.

_**"...**__**At your hands..."**_

__Shikamaru saw another one fall from the black sky...

This one wore a Sunan Headband...

_**"**__**You're a monster, Shikamaru."**_

__With a cloth covering his face.

And he couldn't bare himself to look upon it. Finally, he had had it.

"Enough! What the hell do you want from me? You're... you're a damn hypocrite! You're blaming me for all of these deaths... but how many have died by YOUR hands? How many have died by YOUR order? You act as if a shinobi having many, many kills is something uncommon! It's not! Not anymore! And... and... you... this isn't going to stop me! None of this is going to stop me! I'm... I..."

_**"It should. If you had half of a heart, you'd stop. You and your village would surrender, and accept our terms, before more people die-."**_

__"It's too late for us to accept any terms from you! You've... your village has already done too much! You've... you've... gone too far!___**You've... you've taken... too much..."**_

__Shikamaru suddenly grabbed his head with his arms, and began to massage his temples. After he had gotten halfway through his response, the darkness around him had begun to make his head feel light, and his vision a bit blurry. Wherever he was, he needed to leave. As soon as possible.

He made movements to move, but once again, the darkness had decided to restrict him. But the darkness did not restrict Gaara's voice.

_**"...**__**She would never have had died if you had never kept her a secret. If you had never lied to us about her. If you had never married her. If you had simply done what most would have done, and if you had just let her live her life as a Sand Shinobi, as she damn well SHOULD have! You never deserved her, and you've known this since the beginning! If you hadn't been so damn SELFISH, she would still be alive!"**_

__Shikamaru grit his teeth, and removed his hands from his face.

"And what was I supposed to do? Let her live the rest of her life unhappy? Against **her **wishes?! No... no... she _wanted_ this too. She _WANTED_ to marry me, she _WANTED_ to have my child. She _WANTED_ to live the rest of her life with me! She wanted to... she always told me how she wanted to grow to be old and grey with me, how she wanted to see how our son turned out, to see the end of time with me. She... she wanted to build a brand new world with me. You're the _**damn **_liar! If she had stayed with you, she would have been miserable! If she stayed with you, she would've been worked just as hard as the rest of us in this damn war! If she stayed with you... she would've been on dangerous missions! And if she was on those missions, then she would have died!"

Shikamaru took a deep breath at the end of his rant, and then gripped his fists so hard that his palms turned white.

"And you have the... nerve to... play these sick games with me. I've... I've already come to terms with my sins, with all of the shit that I've done. But... have you? Will you?! Will _**YOU **_ever forgive _**YOURSELF **_for murdering your own sister-."

_**"**__**Silence. I've heard enough-"**_

__"But in the end it doesn't matter if you ever forgive yourself for that... because I _**wont.**_"

Shikamaru stood himself up stronger now, locking his jaw and narrowing his eyes at the shorter man standing in front of him. By now, his anger was reaching a tipping point. And he was feeling a deep, piercing anger, unlike anything he had ever let out before.

"You... you're... how the hell am I supposed to do all of this by myself now? Raise a son, work, do missions, cook, clean, _**LIVE,**_ all by myself!? With no one else able to help me in the ways that I'll need it, with no one else to see me through!? Without my _**wife, **__who was supposed to be helping me_, who was supposed to be there _loving _me!?"

Shikamaru took a deep breath in, and then slowly began to walk over the corpses towards Gaara, before stopping once he was once again standing on corpse free ground.

"... I'm not going to let you get away with this. You can 'hear enough' all that you want... but you're not getting away with this. Because of you, and your _wonderful _big brother, my son has to grow up without a mother. Because of you, and your _gracious brother, _Konohagakure's lost one of their chief strategists. And because of you, I no longer have Temari. Because of you, she's _**GONE**_. She's _**never coming back!**_ And because of what you've done... you better hope that some assassin kills you in your sleep, or that you die choking on some _**fucking**_ food. Because the moment I get my hands on you, you'll _**wish **__**that you had. Because I don't let people who kill the people I love get off.**_"

And with that, Gaara's form completely faded into darkness. Shikamaru's eyes widened, and he rushed forwards, towards where he was before, looking around to try and find where his greatest adversary was. But he was gone. Almost as if he hadn't been there before.

And despite the fact that he was gone, Shikamaru was still angry. His chest was still aching with the feelings that he had projected towards Temari's brother, and his hands were still pale as snow. His face was still arched over in anger, and his breathing was still erratic.

He took a deep breath in, and simply looked around himself, looking at all of the corpses that had fallen around him. After a few moments of looking upon them, he took a deep breath, and then relaxed his body, slowly slouching back, and placing his hands into his pockets. He took another breath, and then shook his head slowly. This was the type of man Shikamaru was turning into. A man who got angry, a man who screamed at ghosts. A man with even worse emotions than his teenaged self, a man with no self control.

He... he needed to prevent it from happening. He needed to gain control of himself once again.

Kurenai was there to help him. She... at the very least she would help him. Choji... he was there too. Ino... Ino could help. Everyone he knew... they could all be a great help...

But more than just emotional help... he needed a plan. He needed to think. He needed to figure out what he was going to do. He needed to make a war strategy... he needed to drop his son off to school. He needed to watch. To make sure that Shikadai didn't become another Sasuke...

He needed to sleep. He needed to get out of wherever he was, and he needed to return to his home. To reality.

He took another breath, and by now, all of his anger was nearly faded away, tucked and stored inside for later usage.

He took another breath...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And Shikamaru found himself back in his bedroom again, this time, all alone.

There was no sun shining through the window. Instead, the outside of his room was cloudy. There wasn't any tea set in front of his bed. His Shogi board was neglected, and collecting dust in a forgotten corner of his room.

But most importantly, he was alone. There was no stunning queen lying in his arms, because his stunning queen was dead.

But for the first time in a long while, he didn't allow this to stop him from getting out of bed.

He didn't let her absence prevent him from getting himself dressed for work, the new design of a Jonin's flak jacket being thrown on his body, his headband being tied around his arm, just like he always did.

He allowed her memory to shine through, however, as he looked himself in the mirror, greeting himself with small, tired brown eyes, and more prominent wrinkles on his face than he would have liked.

He allowed her voice to radiate through his mind as he slowly made his way into her portion of the closet, to look upon what he still had left of her, as if to give him hope for the day. Her giant fan, her kimono and all of her clothes, her infamous four hair ties, multiple pictures of her.

A memory of his encouraging words continued to soothe him as he held her headband up into the cloudy light of the outside. The symbol of Sunagakure, not crossed through, but still displaying bold and proud. Shikamaru slowly closed his eyes at this.

_She really never gave up. She... she really did still love her village...damn it..._

It was of his own volition as he slowly adjusted his arm so that he carried Temari's headband right beneath his own, and then tightened it in, making sure that he wouldn't drop either of them.

It was his own thoughts that brought him to sitting on the edge of his bed, him taking a few moments to collect himself before going out into the world. His thoughts still came to her, as they always eventually did, before he gripped his arm that held her headband tightly.

And finally, without anymore thought, he stood up off of his bed, taking a deep breath, and moving himself into his hallway. It was time to take Shikadai to school, and it was time to bring himself to work.

But before he could do either of those things, there was somewhere the two of them had to go first.

_Once again, thanks to everyone for reading, and thanks to everyone who leaves reviews as well! Even if they're critical, I've loved reading them. Like I said, I'll try to get the next mini update before this Wednesday, and after that we'll be on a completely different 'arc'. Well, that's what I'm planning anyways. Once again, thanks for your patience! Remember to R&amp;R :D!_


	25. Strategy

_AN: I'm back! Sorry for the late chapter, but I wanted to make sure that it was complete, and how I wanted it to be. I'll get another chapter out within 2 weeks again. And can I just give a big **THANK YOU **to all who've read, reviewed, favorited and followed me? You guys are the best, and writing this is worth it because of you! :D Anyways, enjoy!_

_**I do not own Naruto or any of the characters presented in this Fanfiction.**_

Temari's grave was as silent and clean as the two had left it.

The flowers that had been placed in front of the tombstone were still there, and despite it being a day since they had been planted, they were still as bright and strong as they had been the day they had been placed here. The morning's low sun shone through the fog around them, revealing that the tombstone was still as good as new. Finally, Shikamaru could still see that the miniature fan that he had propped up just below her name was still finely attached to the stone.

In front of the tombstone, both Shikamaru and Shikadai were kneeling. Both father and son had their heads down, facing the ground, and their eyes closed. A soft breeze was playing on the their backs. The morning's sun was shining on the top of their ponytails. A mornings' chill was beginning to make them shiver, and after a while, Shikamaru took off his coat, and placed it on Shikadai's back.

Shikadai flinched when he did so, and then allowed himself to slowly open his eyes, and look towards his father. Shikamaru had woken up in a particular mood this morning, and before he would drop Shikadai off to school, he wanted to visit Temari's grave, just for a bit of "perspective", as he called it, before he went off to work himself. They hadn't spoken much as they had walked here, he had continued with his silence as he had led his son back to the plot where she had been buried. He had wordlessly knelt in front of the grave then, and, feeling a bit out of place, Shikadai had followed along with him.

They had been this way for a few minutes now. Shikadai didn't bring it up, however, knowing that it was disrespectful to rush his father in this act. Instead, he simply went along with his father's actions, and followed him to a T. After a while, when his father stopped moving again, and went back to looking at the gravestone in front of them, Shikadai closed his eyes again, and returned to his previous train of thought.

The boy wasn't 100% sure on how he was supposed to feel in the moments that he spent lingering around his mother's grave. Sad? Mad? Hopeless? Guided? There were many reasons as to why he felt any of the many emotions that were swirling around his head, but he quickly became distracted by the sound of his father. His eyes opened again, and he turned his head slightly to see that his father had leaned his head closer down to the ground, and had placed his hands in front of him, leaning himself to be in a better position on the ground. A moment passed, before he could hear his father whisper something quick, but something clear.

"...Yeah, yeah. We're idiots. But just... keep an eye on us, wont you? Things are... different now. And.. we might need a little help."

Shikadai raised one of his eyebrows. Different from before, his father's voice was laden with a special tone. After a few more moments of silence, he was able to remember where he had heard it before...

Shikamaru had only used it with his mother. With her... gone now... he doubted that he would hear it much anymore.

Shikadai returned his eyes to in front of him once again, before he felt something land on his shoulders, and flinched. He lifted his head to see that his father had placed his hand there, and for a moment, the older man simply looking his son in his eyes. Another moment passed, and he took a breath, before speaking slowly.

"...Well... it's time for us to go. Come on, we've got to get you to school."

Wordlessly, Shikadai slowly scrambled himself onto his feet, and Shikamaru did the same. Shikadai watched as his father sighed heavily, before taking one last look at his wife's tombstone, and then beginning to walk away from Shikadai, in the direction of the edge of the graveyard. Shikadai quickly collected his backpack, slugged it over his shoulder, and then began to walk after his father...

But he couldn't help himself from standing in front of his mother's final resting place for a few points longer. He turned himself away from the image of his father, and instead back to where her headstone was, his eyes becoming quickly magnetized by the words that were written on it. After a few moments of lingering, he slowly took a breath himself. He gripped one of his hands, and then allowed his mouth to open into a light sigh.

"...Gotta go now too, Mom. Thanks. For everything. I... love you..."

The words awkwardly left his mouth. In truth, he had wanted to say those words days ago, at the actual funeral, but as with most things, he had been prevented from doing so by his feeling on that day. Now, days later, in the hours before his school would start and in the moments before his father would likely notice his "slacking", he was more comfortable with his emotions. His mother was dead, and he was going to have to live without how. There was no debating the hard, cold truths of the world that he was living in as of now-

"Shikadai." 

He turned his head to see that Shikamaru was towering over him. He flinched, nearly jumping back, before Shikamaru quickly spoke again to soothe his son.

"Come on. You're going to be late for school. And... school's going to be important for you. Especially now."

Shikadai spent a moment being dazed by his previous thoughts, before he nodded. Now, when Shikamaru left the graveyard, his son was directly beside him, with his backpack on his back. Neither of them made another word as they walked around the other plots, their heads held high, and a purpose in their step. It was going to be like Shikamaru had said. The two of them were going to be fine. The two of them were going to live. The two of them were going to _win..._

From his position in front of Konohagakure's Great Ninja Memorial, Kakashi Hatake watched them leave.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Even though he had only been away from his position for a little less than 2 weeks, Shikamaru still found himself struggling to re-adjust to his workplace.

Truly, things _had _changed since he had been first hospitalized. To begin, there was more security at the front of the Hokage Building, and he had been subject to an identity confirmation and light pat down before the Jonin at the front would even let him in, them fearing that he could be a transformed enemy ninja. As he had walked up the halls to the place where he signed in, he also had noticed a more pronounced shinobi presence, and while they didn't bother him further, they did stop a few idle medical nin. Finally, he had found that Naruto was no where to be found. Despite the circumstances, before he had always been able to be found within his main office, usually trying to catch up on the sleep he had lost the day before. But, on this day, he had been no where to be found.

And because Naruto was no where to be found, Shikamaru wasn't 100% sure what he was supposed to do.

The last thing he had done at work was finish signing a Request for Audience with the Kazekage, but the events that had happened later in that day made the existence of such a letter useless and unwanted. He clearly didn't have to review the defences of their village, with all of the shinobi being deployed around the Hokage's office, as well as on the walls, which left the only thing that he could think of doing being... strategical measures. And war planning.

He took a deep breath. Of course. He had to review if The Land Of Fire's lands had been assaulted by any Sand Shinobi in his absence. Then, he had to put ideas into place to continue to push the Sand Shinobi back towards Sunagakure. And then, assuming that they were even able to reach Sunagakure, he had to plan of a method of attack to enter the village, and then ideas on how to defeat the Kazekage-

_"…I love you…Shikamaru. Don't… give up... on our dream."_

Shikamaru blinked, and then stopped immediately in his tracks. He was standing outside of the War Room now, right in front of the dual iron doors. He couldn't hear anyone inside, but either way, he wanted to understand his own train of thought before he would continue his work. Before he could think of ways to better defend Konohagakure, and better ways to end this war in the way that he and Naruto both wanted.

No, rather. Before he could think of ways to _kill the fucking Kazeka-_

"Shikamaru! You're... back."

Shikamaru's thinking was replaced by a sense of surprised, as he turned his head to his right, towards the voice that had addressed him. Towards the face of...

Konohamaru Sarutobi. Naruto's student. Asuma's nephew.

Immediately, Shikamaru stood himself up a bit straighter, and his eyes opened wider to let the man in front of him know that he was listening to him. He hadn't seen Konohamaru in over a week, but despite the small time lapse, it was still clear that he had changed as well. Usually, while he was still a tad bit serious, he was more laid back. His hair a bit longer, his signature scarf around his uniform, and his face in a state of calm, his eyes almost playful.

But as he looked now, any vision of the old Konohamaru was either subdued...or gone. His scarf was gone, his stance was straight. His hair had been freshly cut short, his face was tense. And his eyes were no longer that of a child's.

Shikamaru finished his observation, and then nodded to verify.

"Yeah."

There really wasn't anything else to say. Konohamaru nodded, and then continued.

"...We weren't expecting you to come back... I mean. Some... we just assumed that you were going to be out of Commission for much, much longer..."

He awkwardly left he conversation, and then returned after a few seconds.

"...Some thought that you were going to be away for almost a year-."

"I'm fine. Let's get to work."

Shikamaru didn't like the way he had snapped at the assistant, but he didn't particularly enjoy others talking down to him. Konohamaru seemed to understand this, and so he moved himself over to the iron doors in front of him. Before he opened them, however, he paused. Shikamaru kept himself looking at his back as Konohamaru spoke a few more, quick words.

"...My condolences, by the way. About... what happened. Temari was...the cruelest kunoichi of our generation... and easily one of the best _shinobi _of our years too."

Shikamaru felt a small tremor in his heart as Konohamaru struggled to get the worlds out, but once he was done, he slowly closed his eyes and accepted it. Accepted that the event happened. Once again.

"...Thanks."

"...We'll miss her at work... but don't worry. We're still using her ideas... her strategies? We'll still carry out her will."

Shikamaru could feel his heart get tighter, and he took a breath. He wanted Konohamaru to get off the topic, before he got emotional again. Luckily for him, Konohamaru quickly pushed open the doors in front of him the moment that he had finished with his words.

The "War Room" of the Hokage building was the 2nd most decorated and maintained room in the entire building, second to the Hokage's office. There was a big round table in the middle, along with four other, smaller square tables around it, each in their corners of the room. Each table was clear, but Shikamaru knew that with a simple flick of a button, their surfaces would change into battlefields, city layouts, and more complicated maps. The light from outside, despite it being blocked by the clouds now, shone through the long, clear windows that decorated the walls, and the room was also illuminated with a series of bright, small lights that hung from the ceiling. There was a dark brown carpet that was present on the floor below them, dotted and decorated with red designs of Konohagakure's logo. Finally, directly in front of him, placed on a series of pedestals right against the window, there was a collection of large, detailed drawn portraits, each with an actual photo in the bottom right corner of the frame. These were the pictures and portraits of each Jonin Commander that Konohagakure had throughout the years, all aligned from left to right, the first one to the latest one. Tobirama Senju for the first Hokage, Yoshirama Senju for the second Hokage, Oboro Ito for the third, a blank picture for the fourth. His own father, Shikaku Nara, for the fifth Hokage. Himself for the Sixth and Seventh.

But despite the absolute beauty and prestige that he was in the presence of, Shikamaru wasn't very much interested in it. A combination of factors was the reason for this. To begin, he had been in this room a great number of times, and had gotten used to it's appearance.

The other reason was that Naruto Uzumaki was standing dead centre in the middle of the room, in front of the main, round war table. Sasuke stood next to him, Kakashi was on his other side, and Sakura had her back towards him, until she heard the door open as well. Now, they were all staring directly at him.

Shikamaru immediately felt a sense of nostalgia, but one that he didn't' want to ever come back. The last time everyone in the room had seen each other was Temari's funeral. But the last time Naruto had looked him in the eyes was the day that Temari died.

The look on his face revealed that Naruto had been looking at Shikamaru for a while now. The man spent a few moments looking over him, and taking in the Hokage's more updated appearance. Like everyone else he had seen on this day, his appearance had changed a fair bit as well. Unlike Konohamaru, it seemed that Naruto hadn't shaved for a few days, and as a result a bit of stubble was beginning to form around his mouth. His lags, blue eyes, once filled with an almost unrealistic sense of hope and love, was now being invaded with a look of dark acceptance, as if he had finally been brought in by the world that they lived in. While Naruto was never uptight at his job, Shikamaru could clearly see that his stance was unusually straight, and his Hokage robes were tied just a little bit tighter than they usually were. Finally, while Naruto's face was usually in happy or neutral state, this day his face was more akin to disgust, or anger.

Shikamaru shook his head lightly. It took 10 years, but it seemed like Naruto was starting to become affected by the war. Just like the rest of his council. Like the rest of his village.

Either way, Shikamaru reasoned that it was time to get it over with, and time for him to get back to work. He felt a bit of heat rise to his head, but yet still slowly walked towards the same table that his Kage was standing at. Konohamaru walked behind him, closing the dual iron doors behind them to secure the privacy of the war room. There wasn't a single sound as the pair made their ways to the main table, except for the footsteps that echoed against the carpet beneath them. Simply, it seemed that everyone at the table was attempting to have a stare-off with Shikamaru. None of them could really take their eyes off of him, neither of them moved. When he reached the war table, Kakashi took a step to the side to accommodate him, before shaking his head and looking back at the table, his stare finishing.

_Good_, Shikamaru thought. The thing about their stares that was bothering him wasn't the fact that they were staring, however.

It was the fact that they were, just as Konohagakure had, looking at him with pity.

It wasn't long before Naruto cleared his throat, and everyone's eyes left Shikamaru. When Naruto spoke, he could notice that his voice was lightly shaking.

"Shikamaru. You're... back."

Shikamaru could feel a vein op in his head.

"You sound... surprised." _Just like Konohamaru did_. There was a pause before Naruto's response.

"...I wasn't expecting you to recover this quickly..."

"Well, I did."

"...Are you sure that you're fine to work-."

"I'm _fine."_

Naruto looked back up at Shikamaru with worried eyes. Shikamaru's rather upset stance continued, and after a few moments of staring each other down, Naruto returned his eyes to the table in front of him.

"... Alright then. I guess... we're going to get back to working then..."

He slowly tapped a button on the table, and the table in front of them began to show an overhead map of the land border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. As the rest of the graphics loaded, Shikamaru looked over to Sasuke Uchiha, who had also been staring at him for a while. Their eyes both met for a few moments, before Sasuke nodded, and both of their eyes travelled to the screen in front of them. The rest of the graphics appeared, and slowly, he was able to see the placements that they had set up, and the latest sightings of where Sand shinobi were holed up. The map had changed since Shikamaru had last been at the war table, and there were multiple confirmations that the Sand shinobi had encroached on their borders once again, and few sand shinobi positions within some of the border villages.

In all ways, the map in front of him looked pretty similar to how it did at the beginning of the war. Those ten, long years ago.

He briefly looked towards the piece of the table that allowed him to see the number of shinobi that Hidden Leaf village had. They had a great many more than the hidden Sand village, but one thing that Shikamaru had learned to begrudgingly admit (after it was demonstrated by his wife) was the fact that the _quality _of the Sand Shinobi was usually greater than theirs. Numbers meant nothing in this war, but ranks and abilities did.

It was a good thing that Shikamaru could clearly see that they had a new batch of newly graduated Jonin. It was only a few hundred people, but any amount of new blood was going to be helpful to the war effort. Even better, most of these new Jonin were from the Noble clans. Clans who had become noted for their quality of Shinobi, indeed, although there was no guarantee that these prestigious clans had produce exceptional shinobi this time.

Another thing that Shikamaru noted quickly was the fact that it seemed that the two forts that they had occupied had bad supply lines. Before he could analyze any further, however, Naruto interrupted his thoughts.

"As you can see... while you've been gone they've been making movements." Naruto moved his finger to point at one of the border villages that had been invaded by Sand Shinobi.

"This village was one of our main suppliers of iron. Now it's been taken out."

"And this one is one of our main suppliers of silk," Sasuke added, pointing to another border village. Shikamaru noted that this village had more "enemy" tokens than the rest of them, implying that there were more enemy shinobi there than in the other occupied villages.

"This one fell just _yesterday_, actually. Heavy casualties. Only a few outright dead, but some are to injured to ever be shinobi again."

Shikamaru nodded, and then took a breath at the news. By this point in the war, they could all talk about people dying and being maimed as if it was simply another fact of life. It didn't even affect them anymore. Unless of course...

Shikamaru blinked, and then slowly moved his hands, grouping a bunch of non-deployed shinobi on the table, and quickly looking at their skills. This group consisted of some of the new Jonin, and with another swipe he was looking at their weaknesses and strengths. After a few moments of analyzing, he swiped his fingers again, creating a group of four.

He looked back to the first village, their supplier of iron, and then narrowed his eyes.

"...There doesn't seem to be a lot of shinobi holed up here," he muttered. He looked up.

"Does anyone know the quality of these enemy shinobi here? What are their ranks?"

"Not sure," Sakura said. She moved her fingers to reveal more information about the last sighting of the village, and then gestured for Shikamaru to look for himself. While he read, she spoke.

"We know that they have at least two Jonin there, but we've been unsuccessful in finding out about their guilds. You know, puppet-master or poison specialist. They have three other shinobi there with them, but we don't know their ranks. They _did_ capture this village by themselves, however. Despite there only being five of them, they might very well all be Jonin."

Shikamaru finished looking over the observation report, and then closed the tab. He quickly added a chuunin to the group of Jonin he had selected, and then moved the group so that their tokens were in front of the captured village.

"Then we'll make it 5 on 5. 4 Jonin and a Chuunin against 2 confirmed jonin and three possibles. Worst case scenario if that we lose that Chuunin..."

Shikamaru took a breath.

"But these are risks that we must take. Konohamaru, make a note to notify the shinobi that I've picked for the job. We should have them leave by the end of the week. Tell them it's a simple evict and capture."

"Yes sir."

Shikamaru looked over the war table once again, and then began to look over the newly taken village. Once Sakura saw his eyes travel in that direction, she quickly opened up an observation note about that village as well. Shikamaru read it, and she spoke.

"We barely have any information on this event, however. None at all. All we know is that midnight today, communications with this village stopped. The final confirmed message that we received with them was about a week ago, and it included a shinobi's complaints about so called "looming figures appearing on an overlook of the hill next to this village". At first we assumed war fatigue, or some hallucination... but it could be something worse..."

Shikamaru quickly made another group, but this time it was only of chuunin, and it only numbered three. He swiped again to confirmed their strengths and weaknesses before beginning to talk.

"It'd be stupid to just charge in there without any real information. This group will do a simple reconnaissance to this village, figure out any major issues, and re-establish contact if possible. Konohamaru, you know what to do. Instead of a week, I need this done in around three days."

"Roger sir."

Shikamaru leaned himself back into the air, and then continued to look over the table in front of him. On the inside, he knew that he was going to be in for a long, and tiring day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Since he had never taken a leave of absence, when Shikadai went back to school, everything was normal. Except for the fact that the day that he had skipped out on just happened to be a test day.

Shino Aburame hadn't been impressed with him. Not in the slightest. The moment that the boy had pretended to play dumb, he had been given a special "make up" test, and it seemed to be harder than the actual original test he was supposed to have taken. Now that he had finished the test, he also was going to have to stay during his lunch, not because he had been bad, but because hte day he had decided to skip had also happened to be the day that Shino had gone over some pretty complicated Vectors and Scalars, and if Shikadai didn't' get the information, he was going to be horribly on the test. To him, it didn't' exactly matter all that much, since he never truly tried on any of the tests that he had been assigned to in school. But it was still a formality, and therefore Shikadai had to go.

Now the boy was sitting back in his row, his position right next to Chocho Akimichi (who had asked him a million questions as to why he wasn't at school the day before), and yet Inojin Yamanaka was nowhere to be found. He was awfully late at this point, the school day was half over, and all that was left in between now and lunch was a simple review of math concepts. Everyone else in class was clearly there, and after a while, Shikadai let himself lean back into his chair and relax. He had just finished a test, and everyone else was here. More than likely, Inojin was just taking a break today-.

And then, in the middle of one of Aburame-sensei's lectures, he heard the door open. And in walked Inojin, with his backpack on his back, and a large box in his hands.

Shino turned his head towards the boy who had just walked into class, but before he could scold him, Inojin had quickly produced a small, pink note. Shino took the note, held it up, and looked at it. After a few moments, he let the boy continue into class.

Shikadai watched him as he walked through. The rest of the class was completely absorbed within their own private conversations, and so most of them didn't notice as Inojin made his way towards his seat, moving quickly, with a purpose. When he reached his seat, he quickly placed the box onto the table in front of Shikadai, and then threw his bag at his own seat's feet.

Shikadai immediately narrowed his eyes. Chocho momentarily paused placing another chip into her mouth, and looked towards the package as well. Inojin slicked back his hair, and then leaned forwards onto the desk.

"Open it up!" He said, cheerfully. Shikadai's eyes moved over to Inojin, looking at his appearance for a few moments. The boy looked tired, there were rings around his eyes, and his normally pale skin was even paler than normal. Then, his eyes slowly came to the box in front of him.

It wasn't very big, but it was very thin as opposed to thick. There was a single bow on top of it, and other than that the box was white. It was very neat, but then again, it was Inojin who had likely prepared it, and had likely wrapped it. Of course it was neat.

But out of all the things to give him... a present?

"...Yesterday I was rude. Sorry-."

"No problem. I know why you were mad. Just... open it up! You'll like it!"

Shikadai was still a bit tired from the night before, but nevertheless, Inojin seemed to be excited about this. Chocho was watching him, her being right next to him, but he didn't' care. Maybe it was a cookie or something.

He quickly opened the package, pulling the bow apart, and then opening the lid...

And he was greeted with a full-colour portrait of his late mother.

_"Come here... kiddo. Did you have a bad dream?"_

Shikadai nearly jumped back again, before Chocho quickly placed her hand behind him, preventing him from hurting himself again. Shikadai then came forwards again, and finished taking the portrait out of the box. While everyone around him was still distracted with themselves, and while Shino was contemplating on how to continue his lesson, he allowed his eyes to roam over the thick piece of canvas in his hands.

She looked... just like his Mom. Exactly like her. The blonde hair was the right shade, the small scar on her chin was the right size. Her eyes were the right colour, her skin the right tone. In the picture, which showed everything from her torso up, she was wearing her natural black kimono, and he could see the trace of red that labelled her stash. And finally, most chillingly, her face held her smile. The smile that had always soothed him when he had been a younger child, the smile that had made his father smile on so many occasions.

And...Inojin had given him a portrait of her. But why? And how?

When Shikadai turned his head to address Inojin, Chocho found herself leaning over to get a closer look at Mrs. Nara.

"How did you-?"

"My Dad helped me out," Inojin said, his speech calm, and slow. "I... I hope you're not mad at me... but I told my parents what happened, and what you told me? My Mom was really, really sad, and when I told them that I wanted to give you a portrait of her so that you could at least remember, my Dad was the first person to volunteer to help. She had a picture of both of our parents with Chocho's parents hanging out at a beach, and we used that as a template..."

_"__Come on, Shikadai. Let's learn together then, if you can't learn by yourself..."_

Shikadai bit his lip, and then his eyes began to shake and water. He didn't want to remember this. He didn't' want to have to relive everything, he didn't want to-.

No... he had to... 

"My Mom and Dad both say they're sorry for what happened to her My Dad says she was special and a very important person, while my Mom says that every time she was with her, your Mom was always talking about you. They encourage you to take care of yourself, and just know that she loved you as much as they love me. Or something... I don't remember all of it. But take this and keep it! It's yours! Hang it up on your Wall... and know that your Mom's still looking out for you..."

"Wait wait wait...Shikadai what's he talking about? What happened to your Mom?"

Shikadai began to feel heated, as he placed both of his hands onto his mother's eyes.

"His Mom... died a week or so ago."

His face continued to get hotter.

"Oh... that's horrible! Shikadai are you okay?"

There was a silence as Shikadai took a breath .

""Shikadai? I'm sorry!"

The silence continued as Shikadai began to feel tears in his eyes.

"Shikadai?"

And then the young boy turned to Inojin and hugged him. Chocho watched from afar for a while, before she slowly made her way towards the two smaller boys near her, and opened her arms to capture the two of them in a large, great hug.

"...Thanks Inojin. Thank... thank you... guys..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_AN: Hey guys, I had another piece of this planned, but I literally completed most of this at the middle of the night, plus I have school in the morning. When all's said and done, I might come back and fix up minor errors, but yeah, this is the story now! I'm going to go back to the 2 week delay again to prevent me from having to stay up into the middle of the night (sorry I don't hate you guys, but I need to write this on Weekends instead of Weekdays). Soo, yeah. But I hope you guys liked this chapter at least, and I hope that you're looking forwards to the next one. Like I said before, the next chapter starts off the new "arc" of this fanfiction,so yeah, that's a thing lol. Remember to R&amp;R!_


	26. Trickery

_EMERGENCY UPDATE: Oh my god I'm SO SORRY That the Chapter ended up coming out looking like that! There must have been an issue with me uploading my formatting, but I fixed it! Thank you Lock On Lockon for letting me know!_

_AN: And now we enter this new part! Which is going to be... well. After you've seen what I've did so far, I guess you can guess how dark this story can get at times. But I promise that it's all going to work out in the end... no matter how dark it might get... :P._

_To put it in perspective, from what I have planned out right now, we've finished Section One. Section Two will probably be a bit shorter or a bit longer than Section One, and we're in that now. After that, there's Section Three which basically is the ending, and then there's Section Four/Epilogue. I'm personally planning on writing a few separate epilogues, but we'll see. By the time I get into Section Three, I might become really busy at school. But for now I'm going to endeavour to get out Chapters as fast as I can._

_BTW, I really don't mind if you guys request stuff from me. Like, in this fanfiction? While I wont be able to give you everything you ask for, most of the time I should be able to make it work. Either way, let's begin. This section is going to be mostly Kankuro, Ino and another person. You'll see._

_Also, my school's officially over for the summer now, meaning that I'm going to get chapters out **at least** once a week. I want to get another chapter out this week as well, so look forwards to another chapter on Saturday, Friday or Thursday, depending on my schedule. Once again, thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing!_

**_I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters in this Fanfiction._**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_November 10th, 10th year of the Konohagakure-Sunagakure Conflict_

Kankuro narrowed his eyes at the tray in front of him, and his lips scowled as soon as he saw what was on it. He stuck one of his hands into the bowl he had been given, and after he had collected enough of the substance on his hands, he lifted it up to his face to get a closer look at what he was handling. It was clumped together, a weird, tough thing, it's appearance being akin to grey oatmeal. After a moment more of inspecting it with his eyes, he slowly lifted it to his nose, and sniffed it. When he smelt nothing out of the usual, the guard who was standing in front of his cell growled.

"Do you honestly think we'd try to poison you?"

Kankuro lowered the food from his face, and then focused his eyes on the man just outside his cell. The other man continued.

"You've been here long enough, and so far there's been nothing wrong with your food. Why do you think we'd try something now-."

"Every time you fed me before today you used bread. Shitty, mouldy bread for lunch. That was the schedule. Now you've changed it to... something-."

"Cornmeal soup."

"...Right. Why the change of menu? And why now?"

There was a small pause. Once it was over, the man in front of him spoke again.

"We always switch up what we feed _prisoners _every month-."

"The month ended ten days ago."

The guard in front of him slowly raised his brows.

"...We were busy back then. No-."

"There was no change of food this morning."

"Once again, the procedures-"

"And bread is much easier to get than... whatever this is-."

"Just eat it."

Kankuro looked back down to the tray in front of him, still scowling. In his tray, there was a bowl filled midway to the top with the "cornmeal" he had in his hand, a small plate with a spoon on it, and a surprisingly healthy looking apple on top of a napkin. He took a breath, and then looked up, across his cell towards the man who was still standing outside it's bars. When the guard raised his head as well, Kankuro let out a grunt.

"Well? Beat it."

The guard in front of him flinched, before muttering something under his breath, quickly turning and leaving. As he heard the guard's footsteps as he fled towards the door, Kankuro finally relaxed himself, readjusting himself against the wall behind him, and placing his tray beside him, on his right side next to his missing leg. Upon seeing it again, he idly reached a hand forwards, rolling his hands over where it used to be, before taking a breath, and shaking his head.

It had been over two weeks since the incident had happened, and Kankuro was still trying to get himself used to the fact that his leg was gone. It had slowly began to seep into his consciousness, him realizing all of the things that he was having trouble doing. Most notably, he had been nearly immobile while he had been taken captive, barely able to drag himself from corner to corner of his cell, and only being able to stand when his captors came to grab him. He had trouble sitting up when he was on his ass, and switching from sitting against the wall from lying down was a daily chore when it got late. Aside from the lack of mobility, Kankuro also noticed that his guards were definitely taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't stand. From easily being able to carry him to and from interrogation, to sometimes deliberately teasing him by leaving his food just by his cell's bars, and therefore impossible to reach if he didn't crawl towards it. It seemed like he wasn't the only one who's behaviour had changed.

He took a breath, and then changed his mindset. He slowly looked back towards the tray of food that he had been given, and then narrowed his eyes more. Everything about the way that the food had been given to him this afternoon was suspicious, and he had a feeling that there was something... _special _about this particular new dish. He slowly adjusted himself so that he was sitting up straight against the wall, and then placed the tray onto his lap once again, being careful not to spill the cornmeal. Once it was on his lap, he slowly brought the bowl up to his nose, and gave it a quick sniff.

There was nothing out of the ordinary. Simply, the plate smelled dry and flavourless, the same as everything else he had been given while in captivity. He then placed the bowl back onto his lap, and moved his hands for his spoon-

_Wait. There might be something else wrong._

He slowly placed his spoon down once again, and this time when he brought the bowl up to his face, he extended a pinky finger to the substance. After a moment of preparing himself, he entered the digit into the substance, removed it, and placed it into a side of his mouth, avoiding his tongue. When nothing happened, he allowed his tongue to make contact with the substance...

And then he immediately spat it out.

The liquid ended up on his chin and on his shirt, and so he quickly moved to wipe his slowly stubbling chin, and he took off his shirt. In the same motion, he quickly threw the tray across his cell, and back towards the bars in which it had came. And after a moment of flying through the air, the bowl of cornmeal spilt, the apple softened against the floor, and the spoon made a loud and unpleasant sound. All the while Kankuro quickly began to wipe his tongue. He didn't need anymore time to figure out what the cornmeal was. Or rather, what had been _in _the cornmeal.

The stuff had contained traces of Sun Weed. A rare herb in the desert, but a common one in the forest. Characterized by a slight, hot taste.

The herb was commonly used in _poison._

Kankuro had previously suspected that they would eventually attempt to poison him. It was inevitable, really. They all knew that he was tight lipped, like all Sand Shinobi, he would rather die than give away anything to the enemy. While Ino did have the ability to peer into his mind, there was the chance that his attempts at repelling her were successful, and even if she was able to peer within his head, it would take her a long time to find the memories worth viewing. It would have been much faster and much cheaper to have him under some truth serum, and instead of them having to beat the truth out of him, he'd just tell them freely.

Kankuro finished wiping his tongue, and then spat onto the ground next to him. That wasn't going to happen.

He had to commend whoever had prepared his afternoon meal, however. Whatever they had put in the cornmeal had nearly completely hidden the sun weed's taste. Only a ninja experienced with poisons would have been able to detect it. Only a ninja like him.

He slowly allowed himself to slouch against the wall, and then looked at hte rest of the scene within his cell. He found himself smirking in jest as he watched the cornmeal he had thrown dry up into the ground beneath it. _There goes my lunch, I guess, _he thought, before slowly placing his hands onto his abdomen. Another thing he had learned to get used to was the fact that there was nothing to do while one was captured. There was a small, barred window above where he sat, but he couldn't stand to reach it, nor could see see out of it clearly. He hadn't been given any provisions other than food during his stay either, no books, no games and definitely nothing that could have been turned into a weapon. There was absolutely nothing for him to do between his interrogation sessions, and it seemed that he was entering one of those periods.

He took a deep sigh, and his mind decided to wander for a while, with idle thoughts and nagging feelings. One thing he knew he had to do was get out of wherever he was, and he needed to do it as soon as possible. His apparent "death" had been a dramatic one, and there was no doubt that Gaara was likely suffering from the idea that he had left his brother to perish. Then, there was the issue of his own family at home, and what they were going through, for no reason other than a great misunderstanding. He had to see his Shiori again, to make sure that she was fine, and he had to make sure that he was there for Okuni, to give her a father that he always wanted to have. He had to continue to work to end the war. He had to protect his village.

And he and Gaara needed to come to terms with the fact...

Kankuro suddenly balled his fist, and then threw it against the ground he sat on.

_Not thinking about that today... please._

He took a breath, and then his eyes travelled above him, looking at the light that was coming in from his little makeshift window. He couldn't stand, let alone run or walk, but the fact that he had a window in his room reminded him of an avenue of escape. The bars didn't look too tough, and therefore the only major issue that would prevent him from at least trying to escape in this way would be his own inability to stand. He sighed, and then looked back towards the bars in front of him...

Just in time to watch Ino Yamanaka walk in.

He grit his teeth, but nevertheless stayed calm, and let himself slouch more against the wall behind him. It was important that he remained cool, calm and hard to read. He knew this. But it was likely that she knew this as well.

He watched as she walked towards his cell bars. Her steps were light, as per usual, but on this day in particular, her face seemed rather... bored. And as per usual, she was alone.

She glanced over to him and looked him over for a few moments, before her eyes slowly traced the trail of liquid towards the bars of his cell, and witnessed the mess he had made. Then, she shrugged.

"I guess that means you figured it out then," she muttered. Her voice was soft, but he could still hear her clearly.

"How'd you detect it?"

"I'm the Head of Sunagakure's Puppet Core." _And I'm married to the Head Poison's Specialist. _He nearly spoke aloud his thoughts, before remembering where he was, and who he was with. His eyes looked directly into hers, and he took a breath.

"...Your guard wasn't a very good liar, you know."

"Well, he was a rookie after all." Ino leaned back, and then took a breath.

"... You know why I'm here."

Kankuro slowly frowned, and then sat himself up slowly.

"Another interrogation."

Ino nodded.

"Unless you feel like telling us-"

"Fuck off."

Ino narrowed her eyes now as well. After a week with him in captivity, she had already given up on teaching him any manners making him act with any iota of respect. But at the end of the day, it didn't matter.

She snapped her fingers, and the door behind her opened again, this time a par of shinobi walked through. After more than two weeks in captivity, Kankuro didn't resist when they picked him up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This time, when Ino entered Kankuro's mind, she was placed directly into a memory.

She hadn't had to go through the buffering area that was his mental puppet shop, nor did she have to encounter the puppet that spoke to her the previous times she had been in his mind. Instead, she had simply arrived in the middle of a forest, in what seemed to be the middle of the night. Near the only source of light in the area, a small campfire.

She stood for a few more moments, as the scene around her began to slowly solidify and come into clear view. In front of her, the campfire quickly gained tenants, as three figures slowly began to clear. First was Kankuro, wearing his regular shinobi uniform, complete with his hood and his purple painted face. Across from him, sitting on the other side of the fire was a kunoichi. Her hair slowly revealed itself to be black, tied down into a single ponytail that went down her back, her one visible eye was revealed to be a dark grey colour. Her other eye, and much of the right side of her face, was covered with dark brown bandages, some parts being wet, to imply that she had been freshly wrapped in them. Like Kankuro, she was wearing a Jonin vest, giving away her rank and importance. Unlike Kankuro, she was leaning quite heavily against a long, horizontal log behind her, and her tanned skin was sickly and weak.

Finally, sitting in between them on one side of the fire was another shinobi. This one had black hair as well, but his was short, there were no scars on his body, and his eyes were a dark blue. Unlike the other two, he slouched over, revealing that he was likely taller than the two of them there, and he wore a darker tone of brown on his Jonin uniform. Unlike Kankuro, his face was clear, and there was clearly a small stubble beginning to form around his mouth and chin. There was also a long, black cloth that he had tied around his left arm.

The group of three was quiet for a few more moments, as Ino began to take some more notes of the area around them. They were in a wooded area, implying that they were somewhere in the Land of Fire. No snow meant that it wasn't likely winter, and none of their dress made any reference to fall. They had packed light, and the fact that there was only three of them implied that it was meant to be a quick, informal mission.

Finally, the memory in front of her finished coming into view, and after another moment she heard the man with the black hair speak quickly.

"... Do we want to eat 'em today, or tomorrow?"

Ino looked towards Kankuro see that his eyes were almost completely focused on the woman on the other side of the fire. She wasn't looking at him, and instead down and into the fire, almost as if she was in a trance.

"...Well?"

The black haired man repeated himself. Ino watched as Kankuro continued to study the woman's features, and the other woman continued to look into the small inferno in front of them. Finally, she heard and saw the black haired man made a sudden, loud snap with his fingers, and both Kankuro and the other woman looked towards him, both of them in a daze.

The man waved his hands in front of him. His face implied that he was slightly annoyed, but his voice denoted everything but that.

"Lord Kankuro, did you hear me?"

_Calling him a lord. Must be his subordinate._

Kankuro nodded, then he shifted from his position in the fire. Ino watched as he reached into his bag beside him, recognizing it as the same sack that she had seen him store his puppet scrolls away in, multiple times during the war. She could hear multiple things be pushed around, before she saw him grasp for something. When he returned his hand, he held up three small food pills.

He frowned then, and looked from the woman who sat on the other side of the fire, to the man who was with him. When he spoke, it was obvious that his voice was tired.

"...We should save these," he said. "The area around us has a lot of food in it. You know, deer, rabbits, that sort of thing. We don't know when we'll be in another area that's as abundant as this." He paused, and then turned to the woman on the other side of the fire again.

"Besides, you probably need some _real _food, don't you?"

The woman sitting across from him was notably upset by this. Her face immediately turned into a hard scowl when she replied to Kankuro.

"I'll be... fine," she muttered. From her voice, it was obvious that she wasn't well. Ino looked over her to see that she was also balancing herself beside a rock on the other side of her.

"Finding food just for my sake... that's just be a waste of time. I can wait for tomorrow night-."

"No, you **_can't," _** Kankuro said definitively. Ino could hear the concern in his voice hidden just behind his firmness. He then took a breath, and looked forwards, into the fire as she had been doing earlier.

"...It'd be a different thing if you weren't-."

"Boss, my wounds aren't that bad-."

"They're bad **_enough _**that you look like **_this _**now," he snapped. "Don't argue with me." Idly, he reached beside him to toss a piece of wood into the fire, and then took a breath.

"And tomorrow we're heading towards the border. We wont have that much time for sleeping when we get there, nor will we have any time to hunt. It's better that we get something now before we get too far into dangerous territory."

"Agreed." The man with the black hair said, nodding. He too threw something else into the fire, before he slowly leaned himself up, and stood up. Ino's predictions had been right. This man was very tall.

"I guess... three rabbits or one deer, right?"

"Right," Kankuro said. "But... watch yourself out there. Especially if you're going to be hunting deer."

The tall man looked down at Kankuro, and one of his eyebrows raised.

"...Deer aren't all that dangerous-."

"... Goro, we both know damn well which clan that lives around here owns deer."

After a moment of thinking, the taller man's eyes widened, before he nodded and quickly checked his belt for his kunai and shuriken. Kankuro continued.

"If you don't show up in an hour-."

"I'll show up in an hour, boss," he said. His irritation from earlier was beginning to show. "Hour and ten' at the latest."

Kankuro nodded, before watching as Goro jumped up into the trees above them, and rush off silently. Now, he and the other woman on the other side of the fire were all alone, the only thing with them being Ino's prying eyes, and the crackling of the fire in front of them. Kankuro's eyes slowly left the fire, and turned up to look at her.

Ino looked towards her as well, to see that she was staring at him clearly now as well, her one visible eye staring into his brown ones. A few moments passed as their eyes stared into one another's, and Ino began to make her own predictions about who the woman was. Finally, the woman spoke again, her voice still weak.

"... You're wasting his time, you know that."

"I'm not."

"You are. You and Goro don't need food. Even I can wait-."

"You _might _be able to wait. I'm not going to risk your life on a _might_."

The woman across from him took a quick breath in, and then slowly shook her head.

"...The mission's more important, sir-."

"It's just a simple push-back mission. This mission's not **_important_** enough for casualties."

Ino leaned herself against a tree, and her eyes narrowed at the conversation. To her, it began to feel as if she had entered yet another useless memory. Except for the first memory she had entered, the past few weeks with Kankuro had yielded her useless information. And this memory was shaping up to be another useless one. It was a waste of chakra and time for her, and time was something that she was rapidly running out of time for.

The other woman on the other side of fire frowned, and then took another breath in. Her breathes were getting weaker and weaker, something that Ino could hear from her time as a medical ninja, but something that Kankuro wasn't picking up on, from what she could see. Kankuro's hard eye softened on his female companion, and he then took a breath himself.

"...How you feeling now?"

"... F-Fine. Just a bit... tired, sir."

"I told you before, you don't need to keep calling me sir anymore. You're almost the same rank as me in the core. Cut it out."

"... Alright then... Kankuro..."

Kankuro then looked over her body once more, and Ino followed his eyes. Upon closer inspection, she could see a few bandages on her right arm, right under her Jonin vest. It seemed that her wounds were worse than she had been able to see from where she was standing. Kankuro's eyes then ventured back into the woman's.

"... You... fought well today, you know..." He muttered. Ino's eyes raised at the compliment, just before the woman who was with him nodded, and allowed herself to smile.

"Thanks... you were great too."

"Thanks." Kankuro's voice trailed off, before it returned.

"...Definitely my second, right?"

"...Damn right..."

"... Threw his head right off..."

The final remark by Kankuro had an added tinge of sadness, something that Ino hadn't witnessed him do in over ten years. The woman on the other side of the fire seemed to notice this sadness, and her one visible eye lit up.

"...I did... Well. At least... it's done... right?"

"Right."

"...Can't wait until I get... back..."

Kankuro raised a brow. Ino noticed that, except for a few blinks, his eyes had been trained on her the entire conversation.

"Hm? Why?"

"...You're... not looking forwards to going home...?"

"Sorta. I have a lot of work to do when I get back... but then they did open up another bar back home. You know... in the Red Light District?"

"Yeah, 'heard about that. Although... I don't really frequent that area... of home that often,_ for obvious reasons_."

Ino saw Kankuro's cheeks flush a slight colour of red.

"No no no no no, that's not why I'm in the district a lot! It's for the gin, the rum, the beer. That place has the best bars in town, you know. Not just the best.. well you know."

Ino could hear the other woman make a satisfied grunt, she not being convinced in the slightest, before Kankuro continued again.

"To be honest, I was planning on taking the entire team there when we got back. It's been a while since we've done something like that, anyways. But of course, you recovering is the top priority-."

"I'll be... fine... Kankuro."

Kankuro took a breath, and then nodded.

"Just make sure of that..."

"I will... it's not... my first fight, you know..."

Kankuro leaned back, and Ino continued to watch the two. It was clear that this memory was a mostly useless one, but she began to idly wonder why Kankuro even bothered to remember it. It wasn't very interesting thus far. Unless, of course, if the woman in the memory was about to die. Then she could possibly see why Kankuro would bother remembering it at all.

Kankuro continued to stare at her, and then continued to make idle conversation with the woman.

"... You know... I've never asked you this but... who's the one who makes your puppets?"

"Hm?"

"... They were the reason you were so... well they're the reason why you're like this. Your technique was good, but..."

There was a sigh from her lips.

"... I... I know. I don't... I don't actually... I've never actually checked who the designer was... but they're made out of ironwood... isn't that a good thing?"

"The best material's still shit if it isn't used correctly."

"That's the truth..."

She took a breath.

"I can still make do with what I have if I get better."

"That's true... or you can let me make your puppets."

"...Thanks but no thank you. I couldn't afford-."

"I'd do it for free."

Ino saw the other woman's eyes light up.

"...Excuse me-"

"I can't have you walking around with low-grade equipment. Besides, I make puppets all the time. Just tell me what you want, and when we get back I'll get right to work."

"...I can't ask you to do that-."

"Think of it as a gift. Or an early raise. Or some sort of promotion. Whatever floats your boat."

The woman in front of him fell silent once again, before she finally allowed herself to nod. Ino smiled softly at the interaction the two were having. She hadn't seen this side of Kankuro in a long while, and for the most part, had thought it dead.

"...Thanks."

"Your welcome. We're Puppet-nin, we should be looking after each other, after all. An-"

There was a sudden thud that came from behind Kankuro's head. He turned his head, and the other woman in front of him turned his head to see...

Goro hanging upside down from a tree, his body stiff, his eyes wide open, and the cloth that had been wrapped around his arm used to keep him suspended from the tree branch above. There was blood pouring down from his mouth and from his chest, his hands were motionless, and Kankuro couldn't hear him breathe, nor could Ino. And from her medical knowledge, Ino knew that the man was dead.

Kankuro quickly figured it out as well. So did the woman who sat across from him.

"... Shit."

Suddenly, Kankuro watched as multiple kunai and shuriken came towards the woman who sat across from him. While she made an effort to get out of the way, her injuries were clearly too great. Kankuro found himself leaping forwards.

**_"Shiori! Keep down!"_**

He landed on her, and the two tumbled for a moment, until he was lying over her. Eyes wide in shock, the other puppeteer froze in terror for a moment, before she looked towards Kankuro, and slowly let her eyes peer upon his back, and then everything behind him. Thankfully, none of the projectiles had hit him, and instead they were stuck in the ground behind them.

But despite Kankuro clearly knowing this, he didn't move, not for a moment. Instead, he stayed situated above Shiori for a while longer, simply staring into her eyes, making sure that nothing behind him could get to her. From what Ino could see, the man was almost in a trance, captivated by her one visible eye. But at the same time, Shiori was as well. She didn't move, she didn't complain. She seemed to be in the same trance that he was in, and for the same amount of time.

There was a long, awkward silence between the two of them. Before they heard another rustle in the bushes, and thus found themselves turning around immediately, Kankuro still hovering over Shiori. Ino watched his movements, before Kankuro suddenly turned his head around, just before he heard...

A loud bark.

A large, white furred dog was running his way. Kankuro immediately stood up, and activated his puppet strings to pull his bag towards him and Shiori. Shiori tried to move herself away from him, so that she could help, but Kankuro held out his other hand.

"Stay behind me," he ordered. His voice had turned harsh once again.

"You're in no position to fight."

By the time Shiori nodded, the large white dog had finally made contact with Kankuro, and leaped onto him. The puppet master held up one of his arms just in time, and the ninja hound ended up biting onto it. Kankuro let out a soft groan, before he shook his bitten arm harshly, and successfully threw the beast off of him. He looked at his arm quickly, seeing the bite marks and the blood, before he quickly reached into the bag that he had pulled over to take out one of his scrolls. The dog recovered, landing on it's feet, before he ran back towards Kankuro again. Before he could do this, Kankuro quickly opened the scroll he had taken out, and unravelled it in front of him.

"Salamander!"

There was a large cloud of smoke that developed around the area suddenly. This didn't stop the ninja hound that was still running towards Kankuro, but the mutt found a different reward greeting him at hte end of his leap. Instead of Kankuro's fleshy arm, he ended up running into a tough, metal object. As the smoke cleared, Ino saw exactly what had happened.

Kankuro had summoned Salamander, one of his oldest and most beloved puppets. From where she was, she could see that he was standing just behind it's massive shield, and beside him he held Shiori's weak form, her entire body fitting nicely beside him and behind the barrier in front of them. Meanwhile, the giant white dog that had attempted to leap towards Kankuro had been recoiled off of the puppet, and now stood snarling at the two of them on the ground, pacing back and forth.

Kankuro took a deep breath, and then looked towards Shiori once again. She was still awake, but clearly shaken and slightly confused. He took a breath, and moved his hands to command the puppet that the two were standing on to rush forwards, aiming to either hit or crush the dog in front of them. The dog, however, moved back twice, quickly being able to evade the puppet in front of him.

Kankuro growled, quickly becoming annoyed and angry. He needed to get the dog away from him, at least long enough for him to get Goro's body, to at least inspect to see if the man was truly dead. However, the mutt in front of him was persistent, and he had to stay close to Shiori to make sure that she didn't fall off the puppet, or get targeted by his enemy. He also had to keep himself up to snuff, because if he got injured, what was left of his team would fail.

He continued to follow the dog on his puppet, before the dog quickly jumped back a few steps, quickly moving so that Kankuro's reflexes couldn't keep up with him. Kankuro damn well would sure try, however, as he pushed his puppet strings forwards, as far forwards as he could manage, before he heard something sudden come from the bushes on his right side. He turned his head quickly to see a man leaping from the fauna-.

"**_Surprise, motherfucker!"_**

Kankuro grit his teeth, and Ino narrowed her eye in confusion.

_ Kiba? What...?_

Kankuro quickly ducked within his puppet, and then raised the hood over him and Shiori, causing Kiba to fly over Kankuro, and land on the other side of him, Shiori and his puppet. Once he did, Kankuro quickly turned his puppet so that it's front shield was facing Kiba, before remembering that the dog was still to his other angle. So, to try and make due with this, he turned himself so that the puppet's great shield was in between the both of them, and then lifted his head, standing up tall.

The look on his face revealed all of hte feeling that he was feeling at hte moment. Fear, anger, embarrassment, shame and confusion. There was so much that he still needed to do, and the situation in front of him clearly wasn't going to be an easy one to get out of. Especially with the fact that his comrade was still mostly out of commission, almost lying down beside him as she was.

And now Kiba Inuzuka had shown up, just to make matters even worse for him.

Ino rushed herself over to be where Kankuro was, so that she could get a closer look at her fellow shinobi. Kiba was crouched over like Akamaru at the moment that she saw him in, and looked and acted quite like his pet, as well. His brown hair he had let grow out long, a long, bushy beard fell from his chin, and his pupils were dilated and wild. He was bearing his fangs for Kankuro to see, and Ino could tell that he was definitely in the fighting mood.

And yet, he still spoke. Ino couldn't tell if this was because of courtesy, or because he wanted to make Kankuro shiver.

"Give it up," he growled. His voice was deep and rough, and as he spoke, he slowly stood himself up like the human he was, but began to pace around Kankuro nevertheless, as if he were prey. "I'll bring you back to Konoha, and you'll be tried along with your friend for murder and all that jazz."

"Fuck no," Kankuro spat. His spit landed on the ground near Salamander's feet. Ino had a feeling that this was going to be a quick conversation. Kiba continued to pace back and forth for a few moments longer, before he paused again, and narrowed his eyes at the man standing in front of him.

"Hey listen," he said again, this time his tone more resembling a snarling mad-man than a dog. "This is the only chance I'm giving you. Either you come to the Hidden Leaf Village quietly, calmly and willingly, or I do to you what I did to your friend over there. Your choice."

Kankuro seemed completely unaffected by his threats. But of course, Ino knew that he had been fighting for most of his life now. Threats like Kiba's probably didn't mean anything to him.

"I said 'Fuck no'. Now go away or come and get me."

Ino found herself feeling a tinge of sadness as she looked into Kiba's eyes, seeing a little bit of regret and pain within them. She sighed as well, but simply watched as Kiba quickly hid the rest of his feelings away once again, spitting onto the ground, before he quickly cracked his knuckles together. Meanwhile on the other side of him, Akamaru began to stir.

"...Fine. If that's how you want your meat then I'm just the fucking chef."

Kiba rushed forwards immediately, and at the same time Akamaru rushed Kankuro from the other side. Kankuro pulled his strings backwards to move his puppet backwards, and then held up his shield high to block Akamaru's advance. Kiba landed on the nose of his puppet, but before he could move forwards to get closer to Kankuro, Kankuro threw a kunai his way, causing him to jump back to avoid it. The puppet master quickly reached into his pack again, taking out another scroll, and throwing it out in front of him.

**_"Sasori! Come on out now!"_**

Sasori's wooden body appeared in front of him, and Kankuro quickly attached his other hand to his limbs, now having both of his hands occupied. Beside him, he could see and feel Shiori stir, before he felt her hold onto his leg tightly. He bit his lip at this, before throwing Sasori out in front of him, sending him towards where Kiba was now standing. Kiba of course dodged this, and Kankuro heard another sound from beside him, once again causing him to take his eyes off the man in front of him, and instead towards Akamaru's flying form. He dodged this, and once again the leaping being found itself on the other side of him and Shiori.

He momentarily looked back into his knapsack to see that he had only brought two of his puppets. Her cursed himself quickly and quietly, before he began to think of ways to defeat the man in front of him with his current resources. He didn't get enough time to muse, however, as Kiba rushed forwards once again, and once again his leap was conjoined with Akamaru's. Once again, Kankuro was forced to move back, but this time he could feel the shield in front of him begin to disjoint. He cursed out loud, before he moved his puppet back a few steps once again, and quickly ducked to try and assess the damage.

The joints were always the weakest part of a puppet. And the last attack that Akamaru and Kiba had done to him was making it lose.

He cursed quietly again, and quickly moved his puppet back a few more times again, before he stood up tall once again, and sent Sasori towards Kiba. The moment that hte puppet was close enough to the man, he could see him quickly duck away, before placing his hands together in a single seal.

"Screw this! **_Akamaru! Fang over Fang!"_**

Ino continued to watch the struggle from where she was standing, and yet she still couldn't figure out the relevance of what was playing out in front of her. She watched as Kiba quickly assumed his beastly form, and as Akamaru began to grow . Kankuro placed both of his hands together as well, and knelt into his own puppet, before moving Salamander so that both Kiba and Akamaru were in front of him. He placed his own hands into a seal.

Both Kiba and Akamaru jumped ahead together, and their forms quickly turned in a torrent of unseen grey dust and wind. Kankuro's puppet opened it's massive jaws, and out poured a sudden, large and purple form of gas. It moved fast towards the two spinning drills, but it did nothing to them. Instead, Kankuro's puppet shield ended up taking the force head on, and, just as Kankuro had feared, the shield broke.

The next movements that Kankuro made were fast and fleeting. He had grabbed Shiori and taken her off salamander along with him into the trees just in time, ensuring that she didn't sustain another, potentially deadly hit. He then quickly threw Sasori in front of the two drills, and increased the chakra towards the puppet so that he was chock full of it. Only then was the twin forces of Akamaru and Kiba stopped.

Kankuro quickly returned Salamander to it's scroll, and brought Sasori back up into the trees with him and Shiori, all the while Kiba and Akamaru struggled to get their bearings back. Up there with him, Shiori felt her breath hitch, before Kankuro placed his hand on her neck, feeling for her pulse. Seeing that the excitement was beginning to affect her in a negative way, he slowly and softly moved her to the trunk of the tree, and placed his pack onto her lap to anchor her. Meanwhile, he quickly brought Sasori closer to him, inspecting and looking him over, before nodding to himself. He was still good for a few more bouts before he would have to be put away. He looked down at Kiba and Akamaru, seeing that they were both back on their feet, recovering from the attack they had just preformed.

He turned himself and prepared to jump down, out of the hidden canopy and into the fray below, before he suddenly felt a touch and squeeze to his right arm. Turning his head, he was reminded that Shiori was still awake. Her eyes took a pleading, pathetic look, and she grit her teeth.

"Don't... don't... let me... let me help-."

"No. Stay up here."

"Can't... just... at least some of my poison...s..."

"They'd take too long to apply. Just... sit tight."

There was a pause.

"...Fuc... fuck."

Kankuro sighed, but then after shortly chuckled darkly.

"Yeah. _Fuck. _"

Before he let himself jump down again, Ino saw him glance again at her, this time his look being short. Finally, he threw Sasori back down to the ground, and jumped down after he did.

Sasori's presence again momentarily started both Akamaru and Kiba, before the two got used to it's presence again. The moment the puppet master's feet met the ground, Kiba shouted for Akamaru to get Kankuro, and therefore the dog attacked. Kankuro was able to throw Sasori into his way, but while Sasori dealt with Akamaru, Kiba used the chance to attack Kankuro from the front. He moved backwards, but Kiba was able to get to him anyways, pouncing like an animal, aiming for his chest. He reached into his belt to take out a kunai, and before Kiba could get to the man with his claws, he was able to parry him away, causing Kiba to be pushed back on a recoil. While he was pushed back, Kankuro lunged forwards with his kunai, aiming to at least main the man in his stomach.

Kiba leaned back, but as Kankuro's head was down, he quickly reached into the man's back, and entered his claws deep into his back. Kankuro let out a loud scream, and then wriggled his fingers to have Sasori push Akamaru back away from his master further, all the while shaking Kiba off of him, and tossing away from him, towards the ground a while away.

Kankuro growled, the pain on his back affecting him a great deal. He recalled Sasori so that he was closer to him, and then gripped the Kunai in his hand to the point where his hands were white. All the while, Ino watched as Shiori watched the ordeal from the tree branches above, her eyes wide with horror, yet also low with shame. Ino could tell just by looking at her how much she longed to go down and help her comrade, but at the same time, still being required to stay hidden and stay out of trouble. Ino heard a sudden yelp from below, and then her eyes left the woman and returned to Kankuro.

Now, the man looked as if he was surely about to lose.

Kiba had attacked him again since she had taken her eyes off of him, and the proof was clear on the man's face. Kankuro's purple paint was beginning to become smudged, one of his sleeves was tattered and ripped, and his other had been taken right off. He was still standing up tall, and Sasori had been returned to him, now hovering in front of him, waiting for further guidance. Meanwhile, both Akamaru and Kiba were getting closer and closer to the man, and all he could do was snarl in defence, and get prepared for when they'd attack again.

Kiba took another step towards him, and Akamaru followed his master in this regard. Kankuro took steps back, letting him have the floor as he began to think of a way to possibly get out of this situation alive. He was continually backed up, further and further, until Kankuro was nearly up against a tree. When he felt the bark against the back of his shirt, he gulped, and Kiba saw it happen clearly. Ino narrowed her eyes.

She knew that Kankuro couldn't die here. If he did, then he wouldn't have been alive in the present, and she wouldn't be able to view his memory. Something had to happen now. Anything-.

"...For the last time. Give it up."

"For the last time, fuck no."

Kiba growled in response, and Kankuro did the same. Ino could feel the sadness return to Kiba's voice.

".. Do you **want** to die?"

"... I'm not going to die."

Kiba frowned, and then slowly placed his hands together in a hand-seal.

"Keep telling yourself that. Last chance-."

"For fuck's sake. Give me what you've got and let's get this over with already!"

Kiba would have been taken aback from what Kankuro had said, if Kankuro's words had been rare, or unusual for him to hear at this point. He took a deep breath.

"...So be it, then. Akamaru... **_Fang over Fang."_**

Ino cringed. She could see that Kankuro had done the same. Once again, Kiba and Akamaru assumed their forms. Once again, Kiba and Akamaru twisted themselves, and rushed towards Kankuro. But unlike the other times, Kankuro offered no resistance as the two bodies attacked him head on.

Ino looked up into the trees were Shiori was, and saw her eyes wide and fearful. Her mouth opened wide to scream.

"Kank-!"

Before her mouth was immediately covered. She tried to thrash around, but she didn't have to. Moments after she was silenced, her assailant slowly twisted her body around, so that she could see the man who was now staring her directly in the face...

It was Kankuro.

Shiori's eyes widened with a mixture of surprise, anger, and confusion. He simply raised his other hand in front of her, and silenced her thoughts with one of his fingers. He looked into her eye, and then, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, gave her a light, small and comforting smile.

"...Did you really think I would do something as stupid as that?" He whispered to her. "No... I wouldn't. Not while you're this screwed. What you're seeing below us is simply a... performance."

Shiori nearly rolled her eyes at his description of what was transpiring below. Ino watched as the real Kankuro quickly did a hand seal, and then noted as the Sasori from below disappeared entirely. The real Kankuro placed Sasori's scroll back into the pack in which he had taken him out of, and then slowly, softly and carefully manoeuvred Shiori into his arms, slugging the other pack onto his back. But it was clear that Shiori was the more precious cargo to him, even from Ino's relatively untrained eye.

Below them was a blurry scene. Since Kankuro wasn't focusing on Kiba anymore, the rest of the "fight" wasn't clear. The only thing that was clear, was-.

"...What the hell!? Kankuro!? What the- KANKURO!?"

"That's our cue to leave." Kankuro muttered, and then he began to leap away with Shiori, keeping her cradled in his arms, nice and safe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino followed the memory until she had rejoined the two miles away, with at least an hour passing since Kankuro had "fought" Kiba.

It was an extremely secluded place, and since there was no fire, there was no way of outsiders being able to figure out where in the secluded trees the two were hiding. Ino, however, was able to spot them sitting on another tree-branch, this time with Kankuro looking at, and redressing Shiori's wounds. A the present moment, he was changing her chest and back bandages.

The skin underneath the bandages was a sickly red, but Ino could see that Kankuro didn't particularly care about this. Instead, as he dressed her wounds, he was making sure that _she _was the one fine, not him. From her position lying back on a tree-trunk, she would occasionally ask him questions, not for answers, but for comfort and distraction. For all but one question, Kankuro answered kindly, softly, and almost jokingly, well aware what she needed to keep her own sanity...

Many peaceful minutes passed of this, before she asked the wrong question.

"...What... what are we going to do about... Goro?" She asked. Kankuro raised a brow at this, but finished taking Shiori's leg wound off-

Ino saw Kankuro freeze suddenly, before he straightened himself up and cleared his throat. When Ino heard the worlds that came out of his mouth next, she could finally begin to see the relevancy of the memory.

"...First... we drink our... assess of... to his memory. All...four of us. Celebrating a great shinobi. Celebrating a brave shinobi..."

Then Kankuro's eyes darkened, and that familiar emotion returned to his voice again.

"...Then on our next mission we kill as many as those bastards as we can to get back what we've lost. We get rid of as many we need... to recover our losses... to make it better. We make sure that his name and death affects Sunagakure's safety, and we ensure this with an iron fist. A **bloody **one if necessary. And that's... the end of that..."

And the moment Kankuro's voice ended, so did the memory. Leaving Ino with another piece of information, and another reason to feel sick.

_Finished this up at 2:35 AM in the morning. Never again lol. Remember to R&amp;R! And thank you all for reading this far. Remember, new chapter on either Thursday, Friday or Saturday this week!_


	27. Birthday

_AN: And here we are, in a week, see? _

_I'm personally noticing that this FF is getting really, really long. I mean, as it is now it's actually a long as the first Lord of The Rings book. So if you've read this far, I regret to tell you but you've basically read something as long as the first part of LOTR. In Fanfiction form. Geez. _

_Well, at least we're on part 2 now, right? I think this part might be a bit shorter than the last part, but we'll see. Personally, I want to keep this story under 300,000 words give or take, just to let you know what you're getting into? But I am working on trying to get rid of most of the padding in the newer chapters so I don't end up wasting your time. _

_Anyways, let's begin! This chapter features A LOT of stuff and A LOT of characters. Including one from the Chuunin Exams arc. Either way, you'll love it!_

_**I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters in this fanfiction. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. **_

_November 10th, 10th year of the Fifth Shinobi War_

_... What was the name of that show he liked? Exploring the Properties of Physics?_

"It turned out to be a good push, didn't it?"

_No... would he prefer some sort of weap- No. It'd send the wrong message. _

"Definitely. Heh, they're out of the woods now, aren't they?"

_Maybe he just wants birthday money. Then he could... spend it with his friends? _

"...Ugh, such a lame joke. Naruto, you're almost 40. "

_Or maybe I should just spend some time with him. Just me and him. He might like that. _

"Hey, watch it Sasuke! I'm still your Kage."

_Or maybe he'd just want some time to himself. I guess... I guess I could give that to him. _

"Kage or not, you'll always be dead-last-. "

"Hey! Cut it out!"

"Pfft, I might be dead last but at least I'm not an asshole."

"I'm an asshole? Thanks for the compliment."

_Or maybe I should get him a present after all. He might appreciate it. Something small though. I don't know if he likes big things. _

"Everyone here agrees with me!"

"Everyone here agrees that you're dead-last too."

"No! Sakura... do you think I'm a dead-last? "

"..."

"SAKURA?"

"... Well... "

"Well then... your opinion doesn't matter! You're married to Sasuke anyways! Shikamaru! Do you think I'm a dead-last?"

_... __Maybe he does like big presents? It'd be odd if he did. Me and his mothe-... right._

"Shikamaru?"

_...This would be his first birthday without her._

"SHIKAMARU!"

Shikamaru found himself jumping back from where he stood. Due to his reaction, he ended up tripping over something that had been on the floor behind him, and landing on one of the war tables behind him. Unfortunately for him, the war table he had landed on had multiple little figurines on it. Meaning that some of them ended up etching themselves into his back, causing a bruise. Shikamaru bit his lip, yet still let out a yelp. Once he was done, he looked up to see that everyone in the war room, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Konohamaru and Kakashi, were all staring at him.

He slowly pushed himself back off the table he had fell against, and then growled.

"...Troublesome."

Naruto scratched the back of his head innocently, while Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at him. He could hear Sasuke snicker in the background, and Sakura softly scold him. Konohamaru shrugged and returned his eyes to the main war table, while Kakashi let out a yawn. He paused his movement for a while, and simply allowed himself to bask in the normalcy of it all. The way the group had been acting for those few, short moments was reminding him of a better time. Before the war had begun, before things had been ruined...

"Hey... uh sorry Shikamaru. I guess I just got... too hyper?"

"Tell me about it."

"OH WHY DON'T YOU-."

Shikamaru raised his hands to his ears. Perhaps things were a bit too familiar.

He took a moment, but eventually he had wiped all of the figurines off of his back, and was standing up again. He slowly moved himself back towards the war table where he had been standing over, and took a deep breath. He looked to his right, then looked to his left, and allowed himself to get reacquainted with his surroundings. Yes, right. His son's birthday was tomorrow, and in the interim, he still had a lot of work to do.

"Where were we?" Shikamaru asked, moving his head back to look at the table in front of him. Naruto quickly made his way beside him, and leaned over to look at the table as well.

"Just talking about the successful campaign." Shikamaru noticed that Naruto's voice had turned serious almost instantly. The other people in the room quickly returned to their previous moods, while Naruto continued.

"Remember? What you told us to do back then worked. I'd say congrats but... you're always right."

Shikamaru allowed himself to smirk for a moment, before looking over the map in front of him with more detail. The shinobi he had sent to reclaim the fort by the Sunagakure border had succeeded, so he quickly made that fort a green colour, to signify that it was theirs again. He then looked at the rest of the map.

To the north of the fort was another one, but this one was coloured red. He raised an eyebrow, remembering that he had sent another team to retrieve this fort five days ago. If the fort's colour hadn't changed at all...

"Konohamaru, what about this one?"

The younger shinobi looked towards the same fort that Shikamaru had been eyeing, and he narrowed his eyes.

"...That team. A day ago, two of three returned. They reported that the third had been captured by the forces at the stronghold, and that they would need more assistance to get the third back."

Then, silently, Konohamaru added.

"Maybe sending Chuunin wasn't the right call-."

"I know what the right call is," Shikamaru snapped. Konohamaru stood up straighter. Clearly he hadn't been expecting Shikamaru to be able to hear him.

After a moment of plainly staring at the fort, Shikamaru moved his eyes elsewhere.

"...They had good credentials. Seemed like they were good enough." He allowed himself to mutter. "You know about our shortage. Good credentials have to do."

Konohamaru nodded, and then Shikamaru allowed his eyes to finish drifting, landing on a large bridge to the south of the first fort. Seeing that it was coloured red, signifying that Sunagakure controlled it, he sighed.

"Something happened here, then," he muttered. "Yesterday it was green."

This time, Sasuke spoke up.

"From what my police have reported, there seemed to be more bandit activity there, not Sand Nin activity. The only reason why that bridge is 'compromised' now is because we didn't have enough shinobi stationed there."

"Got it."

Shikamaru slowly opened up a window in the table with a list of a list of shinobi in it. Blue symbolized that they were available. Yellow meant they were unavailable, for any multitude of reasons.

He noticed that there weren't a lot of shinobi with blue names.

He breathed, and then scrolled up and down the list, quickly making a team of three shinobi. Matching skills, supplementing disabilities and weaknesses for advantages. Eventually, he came up with a team of three chuunin, and slowly moved their names into figures. Afterwards, he moved the figures towards the bridge.

"Any objections?" He asked. He expected Konohamaru to speak up, but when he didn't, he knew that he was in the clear. He moved the shinobi into position, and then turned to Konohamaru again.

"Make a note to tell these shinobi their mission. Retake the bridge, make sure that-."

Before he finished speaking, he quickly shook his head, and pulled up the list in front of him again. Konohamaru raised a brow.

"What's wrong-"

"Sasuke was a bit right, but the truth of the matter is that the bridge is near a Sand Ninja occupied fort. Even if his men and women only saw bandits there, it doesn't mean that Sand Shinobi aren't patrolling the area. It's best to be safe."

He quickly replaced the chuunin with three jonin, and noted that now most of the jonin in the village were occupied.

"Any objections to this?" This time, he expected Sasuke to speak up, perhaps to convince him that there wouldn't be any Sand Shinobi patrols in the area. Instead, he kept quiet. So Shikamaru locked the group in.

His eyes momentarily left the table and looked towards the clock above him. It was 3:55 now, a mere five minutes before he was to be released. Sometimes he'd be asked to stay later, but he knew that today wasn't going to be one of those days. And, with Shikadai's birthday tomorrow, he needed to finish up preparations. Buy him a present, maybe bake him a cake. He'd need the extra time to do so.

After a few more seconds, he turned his head back towards the work at hand.

"How many outstanding forts do they have left? Other than the ones I've dealt with?" He asked towards no particular person. Sakura stepped in this time, her voice loud and clear.

"Just two."

She reminded him of where they were located on the map via gesturing towards them.

"One of them you send the chuunin to earlier."

Shikamaru nodded, and Sakura stopped speaking. He began to look over the fort's defences and it's logistics, and once seeing that it wouldn't be much of a hard mission, he quickly made up another team to take care of this project. Now, the only thing missing was the fort he had looked at before.

He turned his eyes towards the fort, and began to make mental notes within his mind. The Sand Shinobi already had a hostage with them now, and the fort was situated right next to a rushing river, meaning that there were only so many ways to enter it. It was right on the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, and because of that Shikamaru could clearly see that they could easily get reinforcements. With the way that things were going in Konohagakure, he figured that they wouldn't have enough time to stage a formal attack to retake the fort for at least another month. While usually he'd be able to delay any actions against the fort, they had a hostage. This would make things tricky. They needed to get the hostage back before he was moved elsewhere.

He slowly brought his hands together underneath the war table, and placed them into his signature hand signal. They didn't have a lot of Jonin left, and the last time he had sent promising Chuunin to this fort, one of them ended up captured, so sending Chuunin or Genin was out of the question. The mission would call for a strong shinobi, and two shinobi trained with long rage attacks and techniques from the look of it, as well as a level-headed, good minded leader. It was a hostage mission, meaning that the situation was delicate, and delicate matters called for experienced shinobi, ones with many missions and kills under their belts. And, of course, the team would need to be able to get along with one another, co-operate well, and be efficient.

He raised one of his hands to his chin, before pulling up the roster once again. Then, he began to scroll through the possible groups, and saw that most of the combinations were out or recovering. Doing a quick search of people who matched his description entirely...

He ended up with a few, familiar people being chosen. Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka...

Himself. The Current Generation of Ino-Shika-Cho.

He cringed, and then slowly shook his head. The mission wouldn't end up being all that dangerous from what all three were used to, but there was something else that would to bother him. Namely...

It was Shikadai's birthday tomorrow.

He grit his teeth, and the tried to find other people to fill the role. Failing to find an available group as old as he was made him realise that either I'd be them, or it'd be nobody. And with the hostage situation...

He paused for a moment, and slowly looked around and the group that was inside the war room with him. Naruto was looking at him with confused eyes, before he slowly began to add things together, and then his face turned into one of pity. Sakura was looking at him with a neutral, normal expression, something she had picked up from her years of medical ninja practice. Konohamaru's eyes were focused on the table in front of them, and Sasuke's eyes were focused on him as well, his look almost obedient. They could tell from the actions he had taken what he was thinking. And it seemed like they all had something that they wanted to say.

Naruto opened up the roster on his side of the table, and tried to find substitute for the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio, as Shikamaru began to think about the repercussions of his future actions. After a moment of doing this, he took a deep breath. If he set off on the job on the day _after _his son's birthday, then he could still save the hostage, still spend time with his son, and still be successful. He could manage this. The fort was two days away from Konohagakure, meaning that at the most it would take him five days to finish the mission. He could still spend time with his son once he got back from school, and tomorrow was his son's day. He could do whatever he wished on that day, with his father or without him. And after the mission, he still had plenty of time to spend with his son.

From memory, he knew that for the next two weeks both Ino and Choji were open as well. He would ask them later if they truly wanted to go, and if they did, then he would have the three man team he needed. And once he had his team, he could save the hostage.

He took a shallow breath, and then moved the pieces of the new Ino-Shika-Cho into place. It would be a simple hostage mission, nothing more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Five days?"

"Give or take. We'll be preforming a hostage rescue. Those don't take very long."

In front of him, Choji simply placed more chips into his mouth. Shikamaru was clearly awaiting an answer, and after Choji had finished another chip, he spoke again.

"...Well? Can we do this? Or should I get another team?"

Choji looked down on his childhood friend, and then nodded slowly. Shikamaru noticed that he hadn't thought about it very much.

"... Don't you need to smooth things over with Karui?"

Choji shrugged, and then continued to walk down the street that he and Shikamaru were on. Shikamaru followed.

"We don't have anything special planned, so I think she'll be OK with it. Of course, I'll check with her later, but if she's fine then I'm fine."

Shikamaru nodded, and then turned his head towards his right to look into a store that he and Choji were walking past. At the moment, they were in front of a bookstore, but none of the books in the window seemed like they'd strike Shikadai's fancy. He didn't seem to be into comics all that much.

Shikamaru slowly began to frown. He had run into Choji on his way back home from work, and the two had been trying to find something to buy Shikadai for at least an hour now. And yet they had still arrived on nothing. Nothing that any of the vendors were selling seemed to be anything that Shikadai would like to have. The black haired man sighed. Maybe simply giving him birthday money would have to suffice after all.

They walked past the bookstore together, and then arrived in front of Tenten's Weapon Shop. The two didn't even pause across this one, the memory of what Shikadai had tried to do shortly after his mother's death still fresh in their minds. The boy definitely didn't need a new weapon, and so they moved onto the next store. A comics book shop.

Shikamaru paused in front of this one. Sometimes he had seen Shikadai read comics, his favourite one being the story of a redheaded heroine, but he didn't feel like something small like that would cut it. And so he kept on walking-.

"Hey! Shikamaru!"

Until the two were interrupted.

The turned their heads slightly to look across the crowded street to see that Ino Yamanaka was on the other side. _Great, _Shikamaru thought. _I had to see her soon anyways._

The woman manoeuvred her way past the other people who stood on the street, and towards her two old friends quickly, while Shikamaru slowly began to go over what he needed to say in his head. Before he could say anything else, she spoke again.

"Fancy seeing you here, huh? And Choji, how's it going with you?"

Choji paused his eating for a moment to look down towards her.

"Pretty great. How about you?"

"Decent. Hard day at work, can't really complain."

Choji nodded, and the placed more chips into his mouth. Meanwhile, Shikamaru finally remembered what he had to say.

"Ino... we have a mission beginning the day after tomorrow. Simple hostage rescue at a fort, I looked it over and it didn't look too hard." _Except for the team that had failed the last time, _he thought quickly. "'Would take 5 days at the absolute most. Are you available or...?"

Unlike Choji, whom had seemed to be completely fine with it almost immediately, Ino seemed to take more time to think it over, and think it through. She fell silent for a while, and looked away from Shikamaru for a moment, in a way that made him a bit worried for her. After a few moments, however, her troubled face returned to it's smile, and she nodded.

"I'll take it over with Sai, but if he's fine then I'm fine as well," she replied. "Anyways... how are you, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru internally cringed when he heard the question posed towards him. Ever since Temari had passed way, he looked at enquiries such as that in different ways than he had before. But it didn't take him much time before he nodded in response.

"I'm fine. Me and Choji are just looking for birthday presents for my kid, though. Search's going a bit...bad."

"I see," Ino said, placing a hand onto her chin. "Well, you know, if you can't figure out a present to buy him... you could always spend more time with him. I'm not implying that you don't, but... yeah."

_Time. _

Shikamaru raised a brow almost on cue.

"Speaking of time... wait. What time is it?"

"About 5:10."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, and then he threw a hand to his head.

"Ugh, troublesome! I didn't realise how late it was. I have to get back and make dinner!"

He quickly moved past both Ino and Choji down the street towards his home, before he stopped and turned around, remembering what he also had to do.

"Uh... alright, listen. The day after tomorrow, meet me at the Hokage's Office at about 8:40am. We should leave early so we can get the mission over with as fast as possible. Plus, we have to get to the hostage as quickly as possible, right? Bring lots of kunai and shuriken. Choji, bring your heavier armour, ok? Ino you might need to use your mind transfer jutsu a lot, I'm assuming. Sorry guys, I gotta run."

"Alright Shikamaru. See you then!"

Choji and Ino stood together with each other, and before they spoke to each other again, Shikamaru was clearly out of their view. The man appeared dedicated to his new duties as a single parent, despite how hard they were, and it was a nice, almost cute thing for them both to see. Of course, that wasn't the reason why the next time they spoke they had made sure he was out of earshot...

"Choji... you didn't tell him about-."

"No, I didn't." Ino adjusted her hair and dusted her long coat off casually, before her eyes left the path which Shikamaru had left them on, and turned back to the large man beside her. When she did, Choji frowned.

"Tch. This doesn't make any sense. Why keep it from him? He's calmed down now, I don't think he'll do anything-."

"Please Choji. Don't tell me that you can't tell that he's still on edge."

Choji flinched, and then shook his head. Ino continued calmly, but her voice had an edge of sadness within it.

"You can tell by his voice, his... weird dedication to focusing. He's trying to suppress whatever 'dangerous' feelings he has left. And even then, it's still pretty obvious."

A few moments passed, and Ino crossed her arms. Choji simply frowned.

"... Ever since... the incident... has he made any small talk with you?"

"...No."

"...Exactly. He's still not well enough to know-."

"He's got a right to know-."

"No, he doesn-."

"He does. That man killed his wife. And even if you don't tell him, he's going to figure it out eventually."

Ino paused, and then narrowed her eyes at Choji. The man simply continued.

"He's smart as Hell, remember? And he's got a higher rank in our village than you do. It's going to be hard for everyone higher than him to cover it up for long..."

There was a long pause.

"... It'd be a good idea if you finished what you had to do with him quickly before that happens-."

"It's going to take a while. And I'm saying that we're never going to tell him. Just... not right now. Not until he gets better than he is right now. Not until he's _fully _recovered."

Choji sighed, then rolled his eyes. Clearly he wasn't enjoying this idea at all.

"... Alright. I just hope you can deal with the fallout you'll get if he finds out himself-."

"I can deal with someone being disappointed in me, Choji."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

Choji took a deep breath.

"Well... I'm thinking either he'll get angry at you and that'll be the end of Ino-Shika-Cho, true, or he'll kill Kankuro while he's in custody and we'll never get the information we need."

Ino sighed. There was another pause.

"... That might happen if we tell him too."

"Except for the first part."

"Basically you're asking me to choose between him getting mad at me, or him not getting angry at me."

"Basically."

Ino took a deep breath, and she allowed moments to pass, before she placed both of her hands into the pockets of her long coat, and let herself slouch.

"...I'll take the risk, then. This war's gone on for too long. Whatever Kankuro has inside his mind is the key to ending it. Therefore his survival is a high priority..." Another pause.

",,,Besides, Shikamaru would understand if he was better. I'm sure he would."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_One Day Later..._

Shikamaru blew into a streamer he had bought from a store, and the festivity began.

"Happy 8th Birthday, Shikadai," he said calmly. Across the table from him, Shikadai stood up straight, and then blew off the candles off the small birthday cake in front of him. Some of the air got onto Shikamaru, but he didn't care too much.

After he finished blowing, Shikadai looked up to his father, and gave him a small, yet meaningful smile.

"Thanks Dad."

"Don't mention it."

Afterwards, Shikamaru pushed a small, yet sharp knife, across the table and into Shikadai's hands.

"Go crazy, kid."

Shikadai smirked at this, and then cut the first piece of cake. Quickly and effortlessly, Shikamaru took a picture of this with a camera that he had kept beside him, and then placed it back beside him. By the time he had finished this, Shikadai had already cut two slices, a big one for himself, and a slightly smaller one for his father.

Shikamaru eyed the portions quickly, before looking around the kitchen in their home where they were seated. With a concerned tone, he questioned his son.

"Are you sure you didn't want to invite anyone to your birthday party?"

Shikadai pushed his father his portion of cake, and then handed him one of the forks they had situated in the middle of the table.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I just wanted it to be a small party this year, I guess. Besides... guests are... sometimes troublesome."

Shikamaru held himself back from chuckling. His son was truly a smaller mirror of himself, although at times Temari's blood showed up as well.._..Temari..._

He quickly placed a piece of cake into his mouth to change his train of thought. Chocolate and vanilla, Shikadai's favourite mixture of ice cream, now swirled and placed into an ice cream cake that Shikamaru had made for him, all by himself. By his own taste buds, it tasted good. Clearly his cooking was becoming better, at least in his mouth. What really mattered was the opinion of the young boy in front of him, however.

Shikadai didn't spit out the cake at first, so that was a good thing. Eventually, he began to eat a bit faster, piece after piece entering his mouth like a machine. At this, Shikamaru raised both of his hands up.

"Woah woah woah, Shikadai. Slow down. You don't want to choke."

Shikadai listened to his father, and slowed down. After a moment, he looked up.

"It's good."

"Yeah, I can tell."

Shikadai got a mischievous look in his eye for a moment.

"... It's better than your rice-."

"Hey, watch it," Shikamaru warned playfully. Shikadai leaned back and continued with his mischief.

"Please explain to me, Dad. Explain to me how you've lived for almost four decades in Konohagakure and yet you can't cook rice."

"Oh please. Why don't you explain your grades, kid?"

Shikamaru reached across the table to tap his son's forehead repetitively.

"How'd you inherit my brilliant mind, yet you're bringing home Ds and Cs?"

"Well, Shino-sensei says that you were the same way in school. He called you lazy and said that you wasted your talents because all you did was sleep in class."

"..."

"Busted."

"Well... heh. I guess you're right. Look at that. Your ol' man's a hypocrite."

Shikadai let out a small chuckle, before he finished his cake slice. He picked up the knife his father had given him, and cut more for himself, as well as an extra slice in case Shikamaru finished his bit. Shikamaru accepted it, and then began eating. Shikadai returned to the conversation.

"So... you said that you're leaving tomorrow, right?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"It wont be too long. Just under a week, actually. Simple mission. Not too dangerous."

"I guess that's... the life of a shinobi then. You get called, you get at the most a day to confirm and then you're gone?"

"Yes. Except sometimes you get assigned and sent off on a mission on the same day."

Shikadai sighed, and then looked down.

"I see. It sounds... rougher than I thought."

"No... it's not that bad. The only reason why things are like this now is because we're in wartime. When we're in peacetime, we usually get two or more days to get ready, and the missions are less frequent. Don't you remember?"

"No, I don't."

"... You don't remember when it was like that-?"

"Dad, I've never lived in peacetime."

Shikamaru suddenly felt something in this stomach drop, and he quickly fell silent. That was right. The 8 years that his son had lived had all been years that they had been at war. His son had never lived during peace.

Underneath the table, he gripped his fist. He would change that.

"Anyways Dad, can I ask you something more... I dunno... personal I guess?"

"Sure, go right ahead."

"How comes you've never taught me much shadow possession jutsu?"

Shikamaru raised one of his eyebrows slightly.

"...Why do you ask that?"

"Well... today in class we were practice sparring, right? And I was paired up with Sarada Uchiha-."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah, I know right? She whipped out her Sharingan and I was just like 'no fair how did you figure out how to use it?' and she was like 'my dad showed me he's the captain of the police force blah blah blah'-"

"You don't sound too impressed with that."

"No. So what her Dad's the head of the Police force? My Dad's the General of Konohagakure's forces and the Hokage's second in command. Although her Mom's the head of the hospital..."

Shikadai paused.

"...Umm... off topic but that reminds me. Was my Mom... anything special like that? Like... was she the head of anything? She never really talked about her past... now that I think about it..."

_Daughter of the Fourth Kazekage. Sister of the Fifth Kazekage. A candidate to become a Kazekage herself. Head of the guild of Wind Masters in Sunagakure. Take your pick. _But of course, Shikamaru wouldn't say that out loud. He still personally wanted more time to pass before he allowed his son to know anything about the true circumstances of his mother's death, let alone her lineage.

"No, she wasn't."

A firm, solid lie. Shikadai didn't press any further, thankfully.

"Okay. Well... she still was the best Mom... I want to talk about the other thing now. Umm.. yeah. So Sarada took out her Sharingan and basically moped the floor with me. So that's why I wanted to know why I hadn't been trained all that much."

Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, and shrugged.

"You're still a bit too young for anything more advanced than a basic shadow possession. My own father didn't really teach me much until I was about ten. Problem is, before that age you don't really have the chakra reserves to be running around possessing a lot of people, so the clan thinks it's useless to teach advanced techniques until at least the age of nine. So... next year I'll show you more complicated things."

"Aww."

"Sorry. For now, though, you could safely work on your kunai and shuriken skills if you really want to become a better ninja, you know. Also, keep in mind. When going up against users of the sharingan eye, don't look into their eyes. Look at their ears if you have to look at their faces."

"Hm, ok. Thanks."

"Although if I were you, I'd be more concerned with Metal Lee."

"Metal? He's a complete idiot though."

"So is his Dad. Doesn't stop him from being the greatest Taijutsu user this village has ever known."

"He's the greatest?"

"With Might Guy as a close second."

"...Damn."

"Watch your words, Shikadai. You don't have a headband, so you don't get to swear yet."

"Sorry."

"Speaking of headbands, you should try to do better in school. You need to at least pass the final exam to get one."

"Yeah, I know I know."

Shikamaru finished his cake slice, and so Shikadai cut him another one, while also giving himself another one. As Shikamaru began to eat, Shikadai allowed himself to speak again.

"...Question."

"I'm all ears."

"...You and your Dad... did you two ever do things like this?"

Shikamaru paused.

"...What do you mean?"

"Just chill out like this, I guess that's what I mean."

Shikamaru had to think for a while on that one.

"... I think we did."

"You think?"

"My father died... at least twenty two years ago, I believe. Towards the end of his life we both got extremely busy. I don't exactly remember the last time me and him did something such as this."

Shikadai fell silent for a moment, taking in what his father had said.

"... From what everyone tells me about him, grandpa sounded like a great man."

"Definitely."

"...Mom had a Dad too... right?"

Shikamaru paused again.

"Of course. How else would she be born?"

"Who was he? What did he do?"

_Sealed his youngest son with a Tailed Beast, tried to kill him a couple of times, grew neglectful of his older children then got murdered by a madman in the middle of the desert after ordering his ninja to attack the Leaf Village. _Once again, Shikamaru couldn't tell Shikadai what he truly wanted to say.

"...Nothing much. He simply owned a weapon's shop, and he died when your mother was young."

"Oh."

"He still was a great person, though." _Boy, isn't that controversial._

"Oh, alright." Shikadai took more of his piece of cake. "Umm... Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"... Do you want to go see a movie or something? When you get back from your mission next week?"

"Definitely. There's some good stuff in the theatres now. _The Tale of Genji, Susanoo and the Snake, The Song of Hashirama Senju-."_

"That's not what I wanted to see though."

"You're not into Epic films? I thought you were."

"Oh, I am! That's just not what I wanted to see that's in theatres."

"What did you want to see then?"

"Well..."

Shikadai blushed, and Shikamaru narrowed his eyes slowly.

"... _Icha Icha Paradise: The Unpublished Words."_

Shikamaru put his foot down.

"**No.**"

"But Dad, it's from the original, unfinished notes of Master Jiraiya!"

"**Hell. No. **That damn series should've died when he did."

"It's directed by the 6th Hokage, Kakashi Hatake!"

"I have no idea why Kakashi-sensei's directing _**pornography**_ now. Either way, you're _**not**_ going to see it."

"But it's starring-."

"No no no and nope. And for the record, why for a moment did you even think that asking me was going to end up with you being able to go see that trash? In what universe, dimension or galaxy would I allow my eight year old son go see that?"

"... The one where you're a perv."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes and gave his son a dark look.

"...Now what would give you the idea that your old man's a pervert?"

"...Well... sometimes you and Mom were loud..."

Now it was Shikamaru's turn to blush, his face nearly instantly becoming a cherry red.

"... I don't know what you're... talking about-."

"Sometimes I came home early from school. At first I had no idea what you two were doing, you know, judging from the sounds, but then I started to talk to some other adults about it, and they blushed too, and then I talked to some other kids at school, and we've been able to hypothesize that you and Mom were having-."

"What's _wrong _with your generation? Eight years old, already thinking about adult matters."

"What's wrong with _your _generation?"

"_My_ Generation?"

"You guys were the ones who made Icha Icha Paradise a smash hit!"

Shikamaru fell silent.

"... I can't really argue with that."

Shikadai smirked.

"...So can I see it-"

"Over my dead body."

Shikadai pouted, and Shikamaru grinned victoriously. After a few moments, the two found each other laughing, not just out of awkwardness, but out of general enjoyment of their interaction. Ever since Temari had passed, the two had been spending more and more time together, and while at first it had been hard to adjust to the change, now the two were undoubtedly closer than they had ever been before.

Time passed, and the two continued to make idle chit-chat. By the time 7:30pm had come around, half of the already small cake was gone, and both father and son were nearly exhausted from their conversations. Shikamaru knew that he still had to prepare and practice for the mission he had in the morning tomorrow, and Shikadai had school the next day. So, wordlessly, the two began to clean up after themselves, both of them feeling revitalized by their evening chat.

As Shikamaru picked up the cake to place in the freezer, he found himself simply being happy in the moment. Truly, this was the type of thing that he fought for, this was the type of thing that he would gladly lay down his own life for. The opportunity to speak to his son, the opportunity to spend some time with him. Even greater, the opportunity for others in his village to do the same, to have the same privileges that he had been allowed in his life. But spending time with family... that shouldn't have been a privilege.

When he turned around to leave the room, his son showed up in front of him. The boy seemed to have a few more words for him, at the very least, just before the two went their separate ways.

"Umm... do you mind if I ask you something else?"

"Of course. Go right ahead."

Shikadai gulped.

"... I hate to bring this up again... I don't want to remember it but..."

"Come on."

"...You were there when Mom died... right...?"

_"You know, nothing that either of us can do is going to make this any easier."_

Shikamaru could almost feel the warmth disappear from his hands, the same way that her warmth had disappeared from them just a few weeks ago. He took a deep breath, and the nodded. Shikadai took this as a sign that he could continue.

"...Before she... passed... did she say anything about me? Anything for me? Did she..."

Shikamaru knelt down to his son's level, and then placed a hand on his shoulder. He sucked in another breath, and when he looked back into his son's eyes, he gave him a warm, reassuring and strong visage.

"... She told me that she loved you. And then she reminded me to look after you."

The clock beside them ticked to 7:38pm.

Shikadai bit his lip, and then gripped his fists.

"...Thank you... for telling me..."

"I'm your father. I just apologize for not telling you earli-"

Shikamaru suddenly felt something wrap around him, and his eyes focused to Shikadai hugging him. He immediately hugged back, slowly becoming overwhelmed with his son's feelings, and after a moment, he felt wetness come onto his back. He smirked at this, and slowly shook his head.

"...You're a crybaby just like me... are you?" He sneered lovingly. Shikadai didn't even deny it, and he nodded on his Dad's back. For old time's sake, Shikamaru let a tear fall from his eye as well.

_"...My my my. It's been... how many years... and you're still a crybaby."_

_ Damn right I am._

Suddenly, he heard a knocking at their front door. Shikadai let go of the hug slowly, and his father patted him on the back, before rising to go see to the door. He looked through the peephole...

To see that Mirai Sarutobi had finally shown up.

Throughout the day, Shikadai had been given presents by his friends, Ino and Choji, and Kurenai, but all of these presents had been received before 5pm. Mirai's lateness made sense, however, as Shikamaru knew that she had just gotten back from a mission today. He could see that she held a small, yet fancy gift bag in her hands.

He opened the door, and the moment that Sensei and Student saw each other once again, Mirai stood up.

"Shikamaru-sensei! How's it going? Where's Shikadai? I want to wish him a happy birthday, and I have a present for him!"

The moment that her voice was heard, Shikadai finished wiping off any tears he had and moved to the front door to greet her.

"Big sister Mirai! Hey!"

"Happy birthday, Shikadai! You're eight now, huh?"

"Definitely."

"Awesome, just four years then."

"Wait, four years until what?"

Mirai knelt down to Shikadai's level, and then ruffled his hair.

"Four years until I get to be your sensei. Also known as... four years till I can legally kick your ass."

Shikadai lost any colour to his face, while Shikamaru chuckled.

"That's right. Just a warning that I'm not going to be no 'nice' Sensei. Expect all nighters. Expect harsh training regimes. Expect frequent missions. You know you see Rock Lee and his son run around town doing handstands? Expect that, but worse. But with weights on your head."

Mirai grinned a shit eating grin.

"You better get ready, little Shikadai."

Shikadai laughed nervously, and Mirai beckoned him closer, and inched into the gift bag that she had brought him. The next words she gave him were quiet, so quiet that Shikamaru didn't hear her.

"...I bought you three tickets to the new Icha Icha Paradise movie, as well as a platinum edition of the first book in the series. Don't tell your Dad, and don't show your Dad, mkay? Oh, and I bought you a few comics as well."

Shikadai jumped up and down quickly, before giving Mirai a quick hug and taking the bag from her hands. Shikamaru eyed the two of them suspiciously, before Mirai stood up and addressed him directly.

"Oh, that reminds me. Shikamaru-sensei, I need to talk to you. In private."

Shikamaru nodded, and Shikadai quickly said his goodbyes, and moved inside, eager to read his erotic novel. Meanwhile, Shikamaru moved himself outside and onto his front porch, and closed the door behind him.

"Alright, Mirai. What's going on?"

Mirai casually leaned herself against a pillar, and for a moment, all the black haired man could see was his deceased sensei in her. She let a moment pass before she spoke again.

"... So when do you want to do this?"

Shikamaru raised a brow.

"Do what?"

There was no pause this time.

"Get the _**fucks**_ who killed Temari, of course."

_Not this again._

Shikamaru fought the urge to go back inside his home, and think about this situation by himself. However, he wouldn't' let himself, and instead remained on the porch with Mirai, thinking it through. All the while, Mirai explained herself.

"...This past few weeks, I've been thinking, and I've been planning and plotting. I have an idea of how we could get into Sunagakure, who we could get to come with us, etc. Etc. Ideas on how to kill them-."

"You're talking about killing Shikadai's uncles, you do realise that?" Shikamaru allowed himself to be the voice of reason in this conversation. Mirai frowned.

"Uncles or not, they still killed Temari-sensei. Their own damn sister. My sensei. Your wife. And Shikadai's mother. I'm not going to sit around and let them get away with it, and I'm sure that you aren't either."

Shikamaru nodded, taking in her words, and Mirai continued.

".. I was thinking that we could finalize on what we were going to do after you came back from your latest mission. Afterwards, we could do it. If we killed them, Sunagakure's government would instantly destabilize, and we could bring in our shinobi to finish it off. The war would be over. Plus we'd have our revenge-."

"And why do you want to help me with this?" Shikamaru asked, narrowing his eyes. He leaned himself against the main wall of his home.

"You're barely 20 years old yourself. Why do you want to get this much blood on your hands?"

There wasn't a pause.

"You were 17 when you avenged my father. I want to return the favour. All my life you've been helping my Mom raise me, training me, and helping my family out. You helped lay my father to rest, now I want to help you avenge your wife."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, and he took a deep breath. Everything she was saying was true. He couldn't let them get away with it. If she wanted to help, who was he to tell her to stay out? He'd be a true hypocrite if he had done so.

But...

"... When I return from my mission, we'll talk about this more. For now, **do not **engage, plan, or tell anyone about what you've been thinking of. Don't even tell Choji or Ino, no member of the Nara, Akimichi or Yamanaka clans whatsoever."

He gripped his fists.

"And especially don't tell the Hokage. When I return from this mission... we'll speak about this more."

Mirai nodded, and then gave Shikamaru a small smile.

"Roger, sensei."

"If you'd excuse me, I have to... go fix the pipes..."

When Shikamaru entered his home, he didn't know what to do, or how to feel.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nobody was watching Kankuro.

Kankuro slowly lifted himself up towards the bars of his window. He used his one remaining leg as a balance, and eventually was able to put a small piece of his body onto the ledge on which his window sat. He took a deep breath, and then began to tug at one of the bars that he was holding onto, putting most of his weight onto it. After a few moments of intense pulling...

It came apart.

He did so to the other bars, until he was able to crawl through the small hole that it created. Once he was outside his cell, he let himself rest, rolling himself to the right, out of the streetlight and into the darkness. He looked up into the sky, and greeted the moon face to face for the first time in nearly a month.

Still exhausted, he lifted one of his hands up, and pointed his finger at the great, giant rock.

"...You... fucks... thought that you stopped the show. Thought that you cancelled the performance. Thought that you fired the entertainer."

He grinned.

"What you don't know is that that was just the intermission. Everyone left for a bit, they got their snacks, but now they're back. The head actor's coming on the stage, the supporting cast is already in position. Now we're entering part two. The _**best**_ part of the show."

He stopped his boasting, and then look up and down the back alley that he was in. On the other side of the alley from which he was in, he could see a large, long plank of wood situated next to a dumpster.

He grinned. He could use that.

Even if it wasn't enough to fashion a quick, makeshift prosthetic leg, he could still use it to balance his stump of a right leg. It would increase his mobility for a time, and all that mattered was him getting out of Konohagakure. Once he was in the forests, he was sure he would be able to find something better.

He took a breath, and then looked at the stretch of land in between him and the dumpster. It was long, and the alleyway looked dirty. He was only dressed in pants and underwear, and his chest was bare. He only had one leg, he would have to crawl. This was about to be long, painful, and disgusting.

He didn't care, though. At the end he'd be free.

So he began his crawl and drag. His chakra was all gone, but he still had enough upper body strength to grab onto pieces of the alley and drag himself forwards. As he did so, his chest ached and scratched against the filthy alley. Sometimes, he'd scrape himself against something sharp, and he'd bite his lip to prevent himself from crying out. The very last thing he needed now was attention.

Finally, he felt himself get caught on something exceptionally sharp. He nearly cried out again, and he turned himself over to see the damage. His lower right abdomen was now cut over, a medium sized cut, nothing fatal, but it would still do damage, and hurt hard as hell if he didn't get it bandaged soon. It would likely get infected against the dirty ground that he crawled against as well.

He growled. He couldn't let that stop him. The support from across the alley called his name. He needed to escape. He needed to get home.

Home.

He flipped himself over and continued to drag himself against the ground. He could feel more things get lodged in his wound, but he kept himself hard as steel, and only spoke words of encouragement to himself. Softly, harshly yet quietly. No one but him would hear them.

"Come on, son of the Kazekage, let's fucking move," he snapped at himself. Only halfway there now, yet still so far. Yet halfway away.

"You call yourself... a ninja?"

His lips grew dry.

_**"****DO IT! Just... DO IT!"**_

He pulled himself.

"This is some... basic... training! Did you... learn nothing from your time with Baki? Huh!?"

Something else scrapped against his chest. He cursed.

"**Fuck! **For **fuck's **sake you survived Sasori's poisons. You can definitely survive a fucking dragging!"

Pull.

"Don't you want to see your wife again?"

Another pull. He hit something again.

"Your damn smart, brave and fucking beautiful wife?"

He pulled again. He was nearly there. This was working.

"Don't you want to see your daughter again?"

Pull.

"She looks just like you."

Pull.

"You going to die out here in the field? Neglect and ignore your own fucking seed?"

Pull.

"What are you... Rasa? Your father? No... you're not Rasa..."

Pull.

"Your name is Kankuro of the Black Sand. You can fucking do this!"

Pull.

"Everyone expects your siblings to be great. You're just the forgotten middle child!"

Pull.

"Naa, let them forget you. You'll show up when they least expect it, best them hen they least expect it!"

Pull.

"Veteran of two wars now. How many shinobi can say that?"

Pull.

"Your brother's the greatest Kazekage there's ever been. How many fucking shinobi can say that?!"

Pull.

"Hell yeah. I'm going to... get out of this fucking... village... city.. whatever it's called now... in one piece!"

Pull.

"You... got this... Kankuro! You're going to show them all what's for!"

Pull.

"You're going to... fucking... kill that bastard... for corrupting and tricking your sister... into... leaving your village..."

Pull.

"She'll see the truth in heaven... she'll... see the truth after death..."

Pull.

"You're going to... fucking... you're going to fucking _live. _You're going to fucking-."

_Escape!_

Kankuro finally came across the wooden board, and he quickly hit it down so that it was on his level. It was a bit too thick to his liking, but he had no doubt that it would still work well as a makeshift crutch. At this point, he was sure that his chest was scratched and bleeding to high hell, so he didn't look down at it at all. Instead, he simply and slowly used the crutch to stand up straight and tall. He took a deep breath, and breathed in all of that new, fresh air.

And then he heard clapping.

He didn't turn around. That was where the sound was coming from, and for fuck's sake, he wasn't going to turn around. Not now. Not in his moment of personal triumph and glory. Not when he had escaped his bindings with only one leg, and nearly crawled his way to safety. Not now. Not ever, if he had the choice.

But of course, he didn't. Not when the voice he had heard was so irresistible to respond to.

"Kankuro."

He slowly turned his body using his new found crutch, but still made sure that he was standing up tall.

Somehow, now the alleyway he had escaped into was now full of members of Konohagakure's Interrogation and Intelligence Core. But Ino wasn't here this time. Instead, all of the men and women of the core looked much older than he was, and standing in front of them, with his hands deep in the pockets of his great long coat, having his bandana tied on tight, and two large scars on his face...

Was Ibiki Morino. The previous commander of the core.

Kankuro narrowed his eyes. Ibiki raised one of his brows, but kept himself cool.

"I knew you were a crafty son of a bitch from the first moment I laid eyes on you, all those years ago during the Chuunin Exams," he growled. He was so close to Kankuro that when he spat, it landed near the man's feet.

"Seems like you never grew out of it. Even though we've shown, even back then, that when you try to do that sneaky shit, we're always 10 steps in front of you. Gotta commend you for your effort, but effort's useless when you're still stupid."

Kankuro grit his teeth, before taking a closer look at Morino, and locking his eyes at his scars.

"I'm surprised they still got you working, old man."

Ibiki growled back.

"I only work when Ino needs to be elsewhere. And unfortunately for you, she needs to be elsewhere right now."

Kankuro braced himself when Ibiki snapped his fingers. Quickly, two members who were standing behind him jumped forwards, moving to Kankuro's sides to restrain him. Before they could get a hold of his arms, Kankuro lashed out, throwing the piece of wood he was using as a crutch towards one of them. That member simply punched through the wood, allowing the pieces to fall around him, and quickly grabbed Kankuro's right arm, while the other grabbed his left arm, just before Kankuro fell to the floor.

They held him up, but Kankuro still tried to resist with his one free leg, kicking towards his left handed captor. His captor on his right wouldn't have it, and he quickly aimed his own leg for the piece where his left knee was, and pushed down. Kankuro screamed in pain as everyone in the vicinity heard something snap. Ibiki harshly laughed.

"Typical Sand Brat." He spat again, this time right onto Kankuro's face.

"Your kind never gives up hope, even when it's fucking pointless."

Kankuro struggled again, momentarily breaking free of his right arm's captor, and succeeded in at least punching Ibiki in the face. A large, red mark persisted from the action, while the right handed captor found himself embarrassed, and moved quickly over to Ibiki to help him. But Ibiki simply rubbed his new bruise twice, before shooing the man away. Kankuro allowed himself to feel a piece of pride, even though he found it quickly short lived...

When Ibiki punched _him _in the face.

The punch was so hard that Kankuro's captor had to let go, and the puppet master fell onto the ground. The assault didn't stop there, however, as Ibiki rolled the man over, and then began to kick him in his chest, multiple times, each time harder than the last. Kankuro soon stopped moving completely, but he did prevent himself from crying out in utter pain at each repetition, shutting his eyes tight, biting into his lip so hard that he bled. His face tense and cold. Ibiki's assault feeling as if he was being stabbed a million and one times in the face.

About two minutes of beating passed, before the old man left Kankuro's battered and bleeding body. He spat onto the ground next to him once again, while two new members of the core that had followed him moved to pick Kankuro up, holding him by his arms. Kankuro could barely move now, trying his best to focus himself on Ibiki, who had now turned back to face him.

"Ah, right. You're probably used to that idiotic, pacifist shit that the Yamanaka clan does to prisoners. That 'go into your mind' crap. That 'hand-less interrogation' malarkey. Well, let's just say that's not me by a fucking mile."

He grabbed Kankuro's neck and pulled him closer to him, so close that Ibiki was breathing on his face.

"No... I didn't come from that fucking flowers clan. Whatever Ino's been doing works with others, but it obviously ain't working with you. So, I'm about to give you _**my **_version of interrogation. _**My **_version of gathering information. _**My **_fucking shinobi way. And my way, the way that we've been doing it since before you were even born, involves showing a prisoner his fucking guts and gullet, and _**then**_ having him talk."

Ibiki's grip increased, and Kankuro could barely breathe.

"So for your sake, _**I hope you like pain, boy.**_"

Kankuro quickly felt a kick to his chest, and this time he was out like a light. In particular, the final light that a man has in a cave full of venomous snakes.

_AN: Thank you for reading as always! Remember to R&amp;R if you can! _


	28. Movement

_AN: Sorry about the lateness, but I had to make sure that this chapter was as good as possible. Personally as well, some parts are really hard for me to write, and sometimes I face writers block during scenes. The next bit might be a bit... weird... but I had to get a lot placed into this chapter. There'll be some action, some drama, etc. The next chapter's probably going to be better, though. Idk. We'll see._

_I'm going to admit that the first two parts are written awkwardly. Sorry I don't know what's going on with me writing-wise. _

_Also, Kankuro fans are going to get a lot this chapter. Shikamaru and Ino-Shika-Cho fans will get a lot next chapter. Next chapter's going to be hard to write, so please allow me until the 25th or the 26th to get it done. After that I should be able to return to regular weekly updates, but we'll see. Sorry, my life really changed a lot. _

_Once again **I do not own Naruto.**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Nine kunai. Fifteen shuriken. Ten food pills. A small pack of water. Three headsets. A hundred dollars, just in case.

These were the things that Shikamaru Nara had deemed important for today's mission. Or at least, the things that he had thought of bringing with him so far.

He stood in front of his bed in his room. Outside, he could see that the sun was slowly rising into the sky, and that the ball of gas was about to breach the horizon. The moment that it did, he would need to leave, to sign out his team at the Hokage building, and then meet his team by the front gates of Konohagakure. For now, however, he would stay and plan, and gather the things that he thought that he'd need for a rescue mission.

He looked over his things. All of the named items he had placed on the bed in front of him, and he was looking over them, just making sure that the count was correct. After confirming this, he quickly strode over to his closet.

He slowly opened it, and quickly retrieved his Jonin uniform, and quickly put it on. It was a rather easy thing to slip on, and he had no issues with it. He looked out to the sky again, and upon seeing that the sun was almost on the horizon, he quickly began to place the items he had selected for the mission into the small sling that he wore on his side. After he did that, he quickly moved himself to his body mirror, and looked at himself in it.

He straightened his hair, tightened his vest, and then readjusted the belt buckle of his pants. After he made sure that he looked presentable, he looked up, before catching his own eyes in his mirror. It was early, but he knew that that wasn't the reason why his eyes looked weary. Why his expression wasn't as lively as it could have been. Why he slouched, and why he looked as if he was going to fall over.

He took a deep breath, and then shook his head. Well, it was a morning mission. Perhaps that was the reason why he felt and looked this way. Nothing that he could do about it now.

He moved his way over to his bed's side table to retrieve his forehead protector. However, once he opened the drawer where it was…

Temari's old forehead protector was right there, illuminated by the new light in the room.

He flinched, and then paused his movement. For a few moments, he wondered on if he should have brought it with him. Every day since he had went back to work, he had worn her protector under his own, visible to none but the feeling it gave him on his body. The feeling that, despite where she was now, that she was still with him. The feeling that she was still watching…

To ensure that he kept his promise.

It was going to be at least five days until he returned home, and idly he wondered if it would be appropriate for him to bring it along with him. Even thought it was simply an object, the little reassurance it brought him gave him more strength to tackle the rest of his days with. Although, as with every other time he had brought something like this along with him, it could fall off. It could get damaged. Worse, he could lose it. And other than the rest of the things he had of her…

Before he made his decision, he slowly made his way back to his closet, and then looked at what remained of his wife. In the past week, both he and his son had made a larger, more permanent shrine to her in their main hallway, but he had purposely kept some things with him to create a smaller one on her side of the closet, made of things that Shikadai wasn't old enough to see yet. Her giant iron fan. Her old yukata. The pack that she had brought with her on the day that she had left, full of pictures of herself, Shikamaru and her brothers.

He took a deep sigh. _One day I'll show you, kid. But not right now._

He knelt down, and then placed his hands together, before bending over and closing his eyes. In front of him, he could almost feel something pouring into him from her picture that was hanging above. There, he knelt in silence, before he finally found his answer. He left her makeshift shrine, and closed his closet.

_…You're coming with me. I… I might need you out there._

He moved himself over to the open drawer, and he quickly took out her headband. As he had been doing all week, he rose the sleeve on which his own protector was on, and then fastened hers on, tight and snug. Once he was done, he let his sleeve drop, and then straightened himself out. He fastened the pendant on his neck, wiped the heat of nervousness off his face, and then placed the pack he had prepared onto his back. He looked outside the window, and saw the sun breech the horizon. And then, he moved to leave-.

"Dad."

When the older Nara turned around, he saw that Shikadai was there. Standing in the doorway, having opened the door to his room, and in his pyjamas. Everything that was written on his face suggested that he had only gotten up recently, and Shikamaru idly wondered if he had seen anything that he wasn't supposed to. However, nothing on his son's face suggested that he had been standing there for long enough.

Shikamaru was startled, taken by surprise. He had said his goodbyes to his son last night, and he was supposed to be gone before Shikadai even had woken up. But, now it seemed like that hadn't been enough. Or something wrong had happened for it to turn up like this.

He would speak first.

"...Shikadai… you're supposed to knock."

He didn't mean for his first words in the morning to be a reprimand, but he had been taken by surprise. And Shikadai usually understood that his father needed his privacy. Especially now.

"I… I know that. Sorry."

"It's fine. What's going on?"

Shikadai blinked, and then fell silent. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at his son, and gave a confused scowl. His son usually wasn't tongue tied as he seemed to be now, and everything that had come out of his mouth was usually straight and forwar-.

"Remember to be safe. Dad."

Shikamaru's eyes softened as he watched as Shikadai's took on a more worried tone, his eyebrows furrowing to supplement this. There was a silence between the two that lasted for minutes.

Once it ended, Shikamaru nodded, and then slowly moved himself forwards so that he was standing directly in front of his son. He could feel the complicated emotions that he was feeling through the air.

"...I'm not going to end up like her, Shikadai."

Shikadai seemed to flinch, and Shikamaru bit his lips. It seemed that he wasn't very good at giving out comfort, least not compared to the other parents he knew.

Another silence existed between the two, before Shikamaru found himself on his knees again, but this time he pulled Shikadai towards him, into a deep and heavy hug. Closing his own eyes, he took a deep breath out.

"..I wont be gone for long. And when we get back… I'll show you more things. I'll teach you more things. We'll spend more time together then… alright?"

Shikadai nodded slowly, and Shikamaru's mind returned to trying to figure out a strategy for the day ahead. Because if that strategy failed, then this might be the last time he'd see his son.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino was the first of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to arrive at the rendezvous point.

When she leaned up against the great village's wall, she felt a bit of comfort. Her team usually met up to go on missions at or before sunrise, after all. And the things that she had brought with her were familiar as well. Shuriken, explosive tags, kunai and food pills. Every time they had wet on missions, this was all that they needed.

Now all that was left to do was to wait for her two comrades to show up.

As per usual, Choji showed up before Shikamaru did. He didn't seem to be in a great rush, and instead slowly approached her place by the gate, taking slow but large strides. Just like her, on his back was a medium sized bag, no doubt full of the things that he usually brought. Shuriken, kunai, and extra food pills. Lots of extra food pills.

Once the two were close enough to talk, Ino slowly leaned herself off the wall, and stood up straight. Choji simply shrugged, and waved.

"Hey!"

"Hey."

The larger man leaned himself against the wall alongside her, and then let himself slouch. Ino relaxed herself against the same surface, and took a deep sigh.

"...So… you've said your goodbyes?"

Choji nodded.

"Definitely. Karui and Chocho will be alright till I get back. You?"

Ino found herself blushing slightly. Sai and her had spent much time the night before saying their… _goodbyes… _and she had made sure to give Inojin a kiss on the cheek before she left in the morning. The mission wasn't going to be too hard, so in her eyes, there wasn't any reason for a long, drawn out goodbye. Unless of course, it was the type that Sai offered.

Her blush faded, and she nodded quickly.

"They'll be fine." It was early, so her voice unintentionally came off as a tad bit harsh. "If we focus on the mission, then we wont have anything to worry about."

"Right."

There was a small silence, before Ino backtracked her own words.

"Sorry… It's early… and I'm a little bit stressed."

Choji nodded, and then looked up to the sky, eyeing the sky as the sun slowly began to finish coming over the buildings. In truth, he hadn't taken any offence to how she had said anything so far. He looked around the two of them, and once he noticed that they were both alone, it being early in the morning, he turned back to her, and shrugged.

"No problem. It's just a tedious mission, right? We'll be back in a week at the most."

Ino then let out a sigh, and then placed her hands behind her head. Choji raised a brow, and then let his suspicions run wild.

"… So… can I ask about the prisoner?"

"Why wouldn't you be able to?" Ino's question came quickly. Before Choji could give out a response, she had spoken again.

"I'm letting Ibiki handle him."

Choji's eyes widened, and Ino's narrowed.

"… But he-."

"Which is why we need to make this quick. Ibiki's torture is physical, and when he uses Genjutsu... And it's possible that he could harm him to the point where he could… lose memories. And once that happens..."

Ino gripped her fist, and then shook her head.

"Where is Shikamaru anyway? He said he'd be here by now."

"No clue. Maybe he got caught up by something."

"Maybe."

"Maybe."

There was another silence between the two for a longer while. The silence began to eat at both of their consciousnesses. Usually, the two would at least let themselves get lost in small conversation, at least to pass the time. But this morning felt a different way than those times before. Their mission was simple, but the both of them knew how easy it would be to fail it. And with the start that the war was in now, they didn't want to distract themselves, even for a moment.

Finally, Ino began to see someone come towards them on the horizon, and quickly placed a hand towards her forehead so that she could see the person properly.

Upon closer inspection, it was Shikamaru.

He hadn't come all that long after Choji after all. And he was moving quickly towards them, his hands behind his back in the usual shinobi run. As he ran towards them, the morning's sun slowly found it's way above the tallest building in Konohagakure, revealing how their group leader truly was.

He ran up to them, then stood up. There were light bags under his eyes, yet when he spoke he did so clearly and plainly, so that the both of them could clearly hear him.

"Morning. You guys ready?"

Ino nodded immediately. Her face was serious.

"Definitely."

Choji nodded, and then gave his friend a small smile.

"Let me guess… you already have a strategy in your head."

Shikamaru nodded, and then looked away from the two in front of him for a few moments, looking towards the forest through which they'd need to travel.

"I'll tell you guys on the way there. Not to hard to explain..."

With that, he quickly jumped forwards and into the forest. Ino immediately followed him, and Choji flinched. With both of his friends rushing away quickly, he soon wordlessly followed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kankuro bit his lips so hard that they drew blood, but not to the extent that the rest of his body did.

His eyes were shut, but he didn't need to see to know what was going on around him. He could feel at least two other people in the room where he was sitting now, walking around him slowly. An intimidation tactic. He could hear something drip around him, and there was a deathly silence. Another method to draw fear from him. And finally, the only thing he could taste in his mouth was the unfamiliar, yet characteristic taste of his own blood.

A torture tactic.

Words came into his ears, and Kankuro kept himself until the words left.

"You're doing a good job at keeping quiet so far. Good. I hate when they scream."

Ibiki Morino. If Kankuro had the strength, he'd growl.

Kankuro suddenly felt something long and metallic meet his chest. It was damp, and he didn't need his eyes to tell him what it was damp _with. _He bit his lips harder, preparing himself for what he could predict was coming.

Then, suddenly the blade made an incision on the left side of his chest, just above his heart.

It wasn't a new feeling to him, but it still stung. The metal tool slowly made a trail from the left side of his chest to the right, and all he could do was sit there and take the feeling it. Through his body, it already being riddled with scars and wounds, and into his mind, where the sensation was making it harder for him to think. Harder for him to breathe. Harder for him to resist.

He wouldn't allow himself to slouch over. Instead, he continued to keep himself sitting up, and continued to bite his lips, taking small, shallow breaths. He wouldn't be vocal. He would stay quiet, he would stay calm. He would stay strong.

Finally, the blade left his chest, as it had done so many times during this time. He had no idea how long the session had lasted thus far, but he could guess that he had been chained to the chair that he was now in for at least an hour. Two hours. Perhaps it hadn't even been an hour, perhaps it had only been minutes-.

He felt another cut to his right shoulder. He flinched, but didn't speak. This time it was quick, but it hurt even more than the large carving across his chest. It seemed as if they were able to find the sensitive part of his body, and he could do nothing to stop his assailant from placing his, or her, hand onto the newly created wound, and placing his or her thumb into his skin.

There was a pause then, as Kankuro was given moments to anticipate what might await him next. The wait was short, but during it he was given clues as to what was about to happen next. There was the sound of something opening, and then there were a few quick footsteps towards him. There might be a third person in the area now, although Kankuro's sensory abilities were dulled, due to his weakness and pain. All he could do as the same voice returned was continue biting his lips, and lock his jaw.

"That's enough for now. Let's try this again. Open up."

Oh. Perfect.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Kankuro hadn't just been subject to slow, agonizing and exhausting torture. There had also been multiple times that the pain had stopped, only for his captors to try and force something down his throat. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't want it within his system either way. It might have been truth serum, or some other sort of sedative. If it was the latter, then he refused the dosage because he didn't want to be unconscious in the presence of his enemy, and he couldn't afford to look weak, even tired, at this point in time. And for the former…

The simple fact was that he would never be able to forgive himself if he betrayed his brother.

He heard a liquid swoosh, and he quickly sucked in his lips. He felt someone grasp the back of his head by his neck, and try to pull him back. He resisted, and instead shook his head fiercely and powerfully, as if he had never been subject to their torture for the last few hours. Another pair of hands went to his forehead and his jaw, and then tried to separate the two of them, to force his mouth open. The puppet master kept on pulling his head forwards, and soon both pairs of hands left him. He had hoped that his assailants had stopped…

But then he felt a sudden smack to the head.

His mouth flew open, utterly disoriented by the blow, and he let out a stifled groan. Quickly, a pair of hands grabbed his head and kept his mouth open, while he heard something unbottling. Within moments, he felt something being poured down his throat.

His head was kept back, to help the liquid reach past his throat and into his system. Kankuro panicked, and struggled to prevent it from getting any further than that. He knew that it would be all over the moment that it reached his system. If it was truly a truth serum, after he ingested it, he would have had ten seconds at best before it began to take affect. He couldn't let it stay in his mouth for long.

He struggled, struggling against his bindings within his chair. He tried his best to wiggle his head back and forth, and soon, with an exceptionally tough push, he was finally able to get the hands off of his jaw. The moment he was able to throw his head down, he harshly spat out the substance that had been placed in his mouth, and grimaced as it fell onto his bare chest and intermingled with the wounds he already had there.

All of the hands that had been on his body were now off of him. There was a silence then, and Kankuro was thankful for it. The chaos of footsteps, the pain, and the droplets of blood that were no doubt coming from his body was slowly driving him mad. In the silence, he began to try and distract himself from what was happening in the present. Instead of thinking of what was happening, he thought of the time that had passed, and tried to find comfort in it. Despite the pain he was under now, he reasoned, he would get out of this soon enough. And then it was only a matter of trying to find another way to escape again-.

Suddenly, Kankuro felt a rough palm slap across his face, and the momentum caused him, and the chair that he sat in, begin to fall over..

As he fell over, he almost felt as if his life was beginning to slow down. It was taking him longer to fall than he had previously thought, and by the time he had hit the ground-.

_"… Kankuro… I'm pregnant."_

_ Kankuro's eyes slowly widened at the statement and his previously jovial face turned blank. Wrapped in his arms, he watched as Shiori slowly wrapped her arms around him, and tried to get closer to him. All the while, the only thing he could do was look at her with utter disbelief. _

_ Neither of them wanted to talk, and they both could understand that. After decades of co-operation, it was a given that they could read one another's body language. And neither of theirs gave any ode to speaking. Slowly, Kankuro's blank face turned into one of grim, while she attempted to hide hers in his chest. And after that, he didn't move more many moments longer._

_ On his wedding night, this piece of news was the last one that he wanted to hear. Because simply put, Kankuro could never become a father._

_ He had no true role model in that regard. His own father had tried his best, he supposed what he had done was the most that a Kazekage could do, but at the end of the day Kankuro and his siblings had still grown up hollow and lonely. He himself wasn't a very good role model outside of a battlefield either, whatever he had done to guide the younger shinobi of the village was through the vision and guide of a general or a mentor, not as a father-figure. The closest thing that he himself had to one was Baki, and the man could only do so much to make up for what was missing. And in the background, the war raged on. He simply didn't have any time to take care of another person._

_ And for all of the things that he had thought about, he also needed for Shiori to be by his side._

_ She was his second in command, and his go-to partner when Gaara wasn't available. Despite their marriage, they still had jurisdiction to travel and work together, and that's what Kankuro needed for her to be able to do. If the two truly were about to have a child, she would have to spend more time with it, and that would mean less time assisting him in the field. Less time assisting the Puppet Master Core._

_ Less time spending time with him._

_ And then, there had been the issue of childbirth. And the very last thing that he needed for her to end up was…_

_ He clenched his jaw, and then slowly wrapped his own arms around her, allowing her to use his chest as some sort of makeshift pillow. Slowly, a hand crawled up her back and ended up caressing the back of her neck. Around them, no one else who had attended their celebration did anything to interrupt the two, clearly not noticing. And there the two stood for moments longer, as their heartbeats slowly began to line up with one anothers, and as they both slowly began to think up the courage to do something, anything, to benefit the mood that had been going on before. But by the time either of them spoke, the mood they had loved so much was nearly gone._

_ "...That's… great news."_

_ Kankuro's voice was full of lies. To him, it wasn't great news. It was pressing, inconvenient news, and he didn't know how to deal with the outcome of it. But, it was their wedding day. Her feelings and his both were things to be concerned about._

_ "Really… great-."_

_ "I can tell you're being sarcastic."_

_ Kankuro paused, and then looked below him to his newly wedded wife. Her face had finally left his chest, and instead she was looking up at him with wary eyes. He slowly let his face turn towards her, and she continued what she had to say._

_ "… Listen. If you want me to just… get rid of it-."_

_ "That's not what I wanted at all." Kankuro's voice came out suddenly and strongly at this, and his eyes narrowed at her, almost harshly._

_ "Just… what do you take me for? I'd…. I'd never want to do that. Not… well unless you-"_

_ "No, I don't. I want to… keep it..."_

_ Kankuro's eyes softened at this, as his own mind began to wrestle with her point of view. Throughout his thinking, he hadn't once thought about how **she** felt about the situation. The two had never really spoken about children, and there was the little possibility that out of the two of them, she was the one who was truly **ready **for a child. But then…_

_ "...Are you… going to stay-."  
_

_ "**Yes**, of course. Just..."_

_ Kankuro could feel sweat coming down from his forehead and landing on the ground in front of him. He gulped, and then spoke again._

_ "… I'm not ready for this. Not right now."_

_ She nodded with him, and then took a breath._

_ "...Well… we still have almost a year… right? To… to figure everything out?"_

_ Kankuro nodded, and then began to rub the back of her head again, making sure that she was at least comfortable as it was now. _

_ "That's right… a whole year..."_

_ He grit his teeth._

_ "….Maybe by then… the war'll be over." He mused. "Then… we could.. well we'd have more time..."_

_ He was completely tongue tied, and had no idea what he should have said next. But thankfully for him, she had a good idea of what to do to to comfort him into his words again. She slowly moved his hands to the point where they were around her waist, and then leaned herself into his chin. Her stomach was right against his now, and Kankuro could feel the beginnings of a bulge._

_ He took a deep breath. There was no turning back now, not with the marriage, and not with whatever family that the two would have now._

_ "...I'm really… I really am excited… though. Just..."_

_ He gripped her hips, and she looked up to him more intently. _

_ "...Do you really think I'd be a good Dad?"_

_ Shiori smiled at him. Behind her untruthful face, he could see the worry and uncertainness in her soul._

_ "...You will. I'm sure you will..."_

_ But the next thing she said was without any lies, and without any manufactured comfort._

_ "...And honestly… even if we're not the best parents… I'm sure we'll make it through this just fine… right? We've both been through worse. We should be able to get through this."_

_ She slowly moved her hands to his, and gripped them a tad bit tighter._

_ "...Besides… now we have each other. That'll make things even easier."_

_ Despite the nervousness that Kankuro felt, and the fact that he was unsure, he gripped her hands back. What she said was true. As long as he had her, and she him, they would be fine. _

_ As long as they were together…._

But they weren't now. And he missed her to death.

Kankuro coughed up whatever was in his mouth as he laid on the floor. He couldn't see nor truly taste it, but his best guess was that it was his own blood. He hadn't eaten at all for the entire day, and the longer the day drew on, the more and more it seemed as if the only thing he'd be taking in that day would be his own fluids. He tried to wiggle himself out of his bindings one last time, before finally, he stopped his struggling, and instead focused primarily on breathing. He heard some whispers, and then finally he felt someone grab him by the shoulder, and pull him and his chair back up, so that he was now sitting up.

He let out a deep, long sigh once he was back on his "feet". He was extremely weak now, and while most in his position would begin to say their final prayers and wishes, he knew better. He was an extremely important captive, and Konohagakure wouldn't find another man with the amount of knowledge about Sunagakure unless it was the Kazekage himself. It would be a complete waste for them to finish him off now.

He tried his best to relax himself and de tense his muscles, before he heard Ibiki's booming voice return to his ears.

"What's the matter? Not thirsty after all the work you've done today?"

Kankuro gave him a shit-eating grin. He tried his best to focus his eyes in the direction of his voice under his bind fold.

"I'm a high ranking ninja. Noble, almost. In Sunagakure they call me _Lord _Kankuro. _Lords _and _Ladies_ don't buy the cheap drinks that you can get at a corner store."

As he spoke, he could feel some of his excess blood roll down the side of his mouth, and drip onto his chest. He heard a shuffling, and then something swish next to his right ear. Ibiki spoke again, and this time his tone was relaxed and calm.

"Well, you'll like this brand. It's a sweet, _honest _liquor, after all."

Kankuro made note of his words. _Honest, huh? Probably a truth serum after all-_

He felt two pairs of hands restrain his head once again.

His head was forcibly titled back, and his mouth was pulled open harshly. He was too weak this time to truly put up a resistance, but he had an idea of how to get rid of the fluid, as he had one last time.

That was, until he could feel a rough and calloused hand seal his nostrils.

Now Kankuro was in a state of panic. If he couldn't breathe when they poured the serum in, then it'd be a choice between breathing, but drinking the fluid against suffocating. Before he could think of anything else, he began to feel the sweet tasting poison be poured down his throat.

He did his damnedest to resist. He tried to move his head back and forth, trying to keep the fluid from falling down, but soon found that he desperately needed to breathe. But at the same time, he couldn't let himself be taken under the serum's influence. He couldn't let himself betray his village. His brother. What remained of his family.

So instead of accepting betrayal, he blocked the fluid, and simply didn't breathe.

He tried his best to focus all of his energy to his throat. At the very least, even if he finally passed out, the serum would only take control after he was unable to tell any of the people in front of him anything. The worst thing that could happen was that he could die.

He flinched.

The people around him continued to hold him still. Eventually they assumed that the man would eventually grow too weak to resist taking ingesting the serum, and then their work would be done.

But they didn't expect Kankuro to begin to gargle the liquid in this throat.

They were taken aback for a few moments, which was just long enough for the Sand Nin in front of them to let out a final blow of air from his lungs, and jerk his head forwards. The runny they had tried to give him came up and splattered on their own hands, and some of it remained on his face. Immediately, they removed all of their hands, and Kankuro ended up lurching forwards, again.

_I probably look ridiculous _he thought. The blindfold still around his eyes wasn't able to convince him that he didn't now look like a complete mess, poison all over his face, bare chested, his hair frayed and wild. But, even as he thought that, he took comfort that he hadn't ingested anything. He hadn't done anything traitorous. He hadn't endangered anyone that he cared about.

There was an awkward silence then, and the only thing Kankuro could now hear was his own, heavy breathes. Then, there was a muttering, before he heard Ibiki's voice once again.

"Didn't like it?"

Even through all of the pain and weakness he was suffering, Kankuro couldn't' resist the chance that was offered to him.

"Like I.. told you… I don't like… cheap drinks..."

There was another silence, and to end it, he let out a short, harsh chuckle. The moment he finished, however, he found his head being thrown back again, but this time because someone had gripped his chin. He clenched his jaw, and simply sat there, solid as a rock, expecting and coming to terms with the fact that he was likely to be beaten again.

Except this beating never came. But just because Kankuro wasn't beaten didn't mean that he wasn't assaulted.

"Well, if you didn't like this serving, then I'm sure you'll like the one you'll be taste-testing tomorrow."

He gripped a bit tighter, but Kankuro kept himself as solid as steel. He had to remain cocky and aloof in front of his enemy, and he couldn't' afford to break character now.

"And if not that one, then the one after that."

Tighter.

"Or the one after that."

Even tighter. Kankuro could barely draw breath.

"Or perhaps the one after that. Or the one after that as well. Either way, I'm sure by the end of this week we'll find a taste you'll like."

Kankuro wanted to move, but he couldn't. There was a pause, and then Ibiki's words returned to his ears, and the captive nearly flinched.

"...Right. I did promise you that I'd show you your guts. And I'm not a man who lies."

And with that, Kankuro's blindfold was taken off.

The moment that he could see, Kankuro looked around him. It wasn't just Ibiki in the room with him, he had brought along two other associates that he had never seen before. Around him, he could see that for the most part , the room that he was in was oddly clean. Despite the sickening feeling that he might have been bleeding out-

"Why don't you look down?"

Ibiki's words had an unusual strain on the prisoner, and so he let himself follow his words, and look down….

Only to see that his former Chuunin Exam Proctor hadn't been exaggerating at all. His guts were clearly out for him to see.

It was amazingly haunting to him, and Kankuro found himself in an unusual state of both awe and utter fear. There had been an incision on his lower belly that he had never felt before, and at sometime during the hours he had been here, a piece of his large intestine had been pulled out. His eyes slowly widened in horror. He couldn't' do a damn thing to close it up, and with how weak he already was, the sight was making him queasy. It still being attached to his body, it still pulsed and churned, and it was still a dark, black red.

His eyes began to tense up, and slowly, he felt things flash before his eyes. His wife, his daughter, his brother. His village, his home. His house, his friends. His comrades. His captors. His enemies. His demons. His teachers. His mentors. His adversaries. His…

_… "Come on. You're acting like a colossal drama queen about this. Are you sure you want to be a ninja? You'd do much better as an actor."_

Sister.

And finally, the blood loss got the best of him, and Kankuro fell into the darkness of his own soul.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"… Lord Kazekage. I beg you to let me go on one of these missions."

Gaara of the Hidden Sand Village didn't need a moment to give an answer.

"No."

Shiori leaned closer onto the table in between the two of them, and narrowed her eyes.

"Why not?"

Gaara simply took another sip of his tea, and looked away from her.

"You're simply too weak to go on one right now. You're on leave for at least three more months. This is non-negotiable."

Shiori's eyes became more frenzied than they already were. It had been two weeks since she had learned that Kankuro was dead, and ever since then she had been in disorder. Today was just another show of it, with her hair being in a lose, messy ponytail, heavy bags under her eyes, and the dryness of her skin making the scars that she possessed around her eye more defined and clear. Even as she leaned over the Kazekage's desk in front of her, Gaara could see that physically she was not well. Her arms were weak and frail, not from malnourishment, but from… sorrow.

"Who are you to tell me how I'm feeling? How I am? Physical appearance doesn't mean jack shit. I'm perfectly happy, and you're not using me like you ought to be!"

Any other time of the day, Gaara would've chastised her for how she was addressing him. But not now. Now, the only thing he could notice, in the middle of the day, as the sun began to hide behind the clouds in the sky, was that her voice was debilitated and shaky as well.

"… You have to send me out there! There's just… still so much work to be done!"

...She hadn't even come to see him since the day that he revealed that her husband was dead. He had watched her from afar, noticing her stances, her speech, her act. Noticing that she was..

"How can you just sit there and let me go to waste? You know that I've been open and ready for at least a week now!"

…. A hollow of her previous self. A broken tool, an unwatered plant. Like the ones in the desert. Thirsty… dying of dehydration…

"...You send everyone else on there on lengthy, important missions! And yet I've just been… sitting here doing _**nothing!"**_

__It wasn't the fault of the plants that the desert hadn't produced rain. It wasn't the fault of the plants that, no matter how hard they would try, no matter where in the desert they chose to spread their roots, and no matter how they looked like, the sky wouldn't give them water. It wasn't the plant's fault for their own imminent demise.

"How am I supposed to lead my core if I don't have up to date battlefield experience!?"

No… instead Gaara blamed the sun. The killing heat that the sun brought to the desert.

"You don't even give me jurisdiction to leave the village!"

The sun, which dried up any droplets that the sky attempted to give the plants. The sun, which preyed on anything below it, and everything beside it.

"How the hell am I supposed to assist the war effort if you've reduced me to… _**NOTHING!?"**_

__The sun, the giant ball of constant, gaseous heat. No… oppression. All the sun did was cause oppression…

"You can't…. you KNOW my strengths!"

It burned everything. It suffocated everything.

"And all you can say is NO? And then ignore me!?"

The plants did nothing to deserve the sun's assault.

"You have to-."

_**"I don't have to do jack shit!"**_

__Suddenly, Gaara moved to his feet, while Shiori leaned back off of the table. She was still greater in height than he was, by a large margin, but he was a greater shinobi than her by a long mile. Not to mention that Gaara's previous blank and calm face had turned into an angry one.

His teal eyes almost glowed. His voice was a harsh bark, something that she had never heard from his lips, not even in the heat of battle.

"You… You're going to just do what _**I **_say! _**I"M **_the Kazekage! If I say that you're going to stay within the village, then you're going to stay within the village! If I say that you have a mission, then you have a mission! And right now, I say that you shut up, and that you go home! There's nothing… there's _**NOTHING**_ for you here!"

Shiori finished leaning off the table, and Gaara let himself pause in his rant. Looking up into her eyes, he could see that he had finally gotten to her, and that her previously fierce features had softened near instantly. And finally, Gaara saw another thing within her eyes that gave him a quick reminder of what life the two of them were living now.

He saw loneliness.

Upon seeing it, he took a deep breath, and then relaxed his body, closing his eyes and looking down. It was true. The two of them were lonely now, and each because of different reasons. And the two of them had become lonely all on the same night. All under the same blade.

And Gaara's loneliness was entirely his fault. And his actions had caused her to become isolated and alone again.

The Kazekage gripped his fists, and then shook his head. When he spoke next, his words were less of an order, and more of a quiet plea.

"… I need you to stay here… until you're better again…."

There was another pause, and Gaara took in a breath.

"… I… _**can't….**_ lose anymore of my family."

The silence between them continued… until Shiori found the strength to turn around and leave the office.

Meanwhile, by the time Gaara let himself fall back into his chair again, he could barely stand.

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_ AN: A BIG Thank you to everyone who reads, reviews, follows, and favourites! Especially this far. You guys reviewing, reading and simply being here is honestly the greatest thing. To be honest with everyone here, I've never written any form of fiction or non-fiction this long, so I'm really, really inexperienced with these things. The fact that you guys read every where implies that I might be actually halfway decent at it. But all in all, thank you. _

_A little warning… next chapter is going to be loaded. You'll see. R&amp;R if you can, and see you next week._


	29. The Fort

_AN: Ok, so just to warn you all, this chapter might be a bit... weird. And might be a bit emotional. Eh, you'll see._

_The ending's really good though. And the next chapter is going to be VERY emotionally packed. Just warning you all._

_**Once again, I do not own Naruto.**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_ As the sun slowly rose from the sky in front of them, Shikamaru slowly wrapped his arms tighter around his wife, and Temari let herself lean into him more closely. After a moment, she added words to the interaction._

_ "...Getting all emotional with the sunrise, huh?"_

_ Shikamaru nodded, and then let out a small smile. _

_ "It's not just the sun that's making me this way..."_

_ Temari returned the smile that he gave her, but then something momentarily interrupted them. A small, tiny, and yet still noticeably lazy, cry came from Temari's arms, and the two of them both looked down to see that Shikadai was still there, snuggled tightly in his blanket. The boy had finally woken up it seemed, his small green eyes swirling around, and his arms trying to free themselves from their position behind the blanket. Not wanting to watch her son struggle for much longer, Temari slowly loosened the fabric until Shikamaru could properly place his hands elsewhere. In response, she was given a long, and loud yawn._

_ Shikamaru smirked a bit bigger from the scene, and then slowly reached out a finger for the infant. The boy eyed his index finger for a few moments, before making a quizzical sound, and gripping it with both of his hands, making more sounds as he slowly moved it around and looked at it. Shikamaru slowly closed his eyes, taking in the boy's experimental touches, abd just allowing himself to be in awe of the little life that the two of them ahd created, not too long ago. Temari gave out a small chuckle._

_ "Aww, how cute."_

_ Shikamaru looked up at her again, and blushed..._

_ Only for the world around him to begin to fall apart._

_ ...No._

_ The hill that the three were seated on began to crumble away, and Shikamaru barely had enough time to reach forwards to grab onto Temari's body. The sun rising in the sky began to gain intensity, and soon Shikamaru's vision became a pure white. He gribbed onto Temari's shoulder until he couldn't feel her anymore._

_ Until he could feel nothing. He could see nothing. He could hear nothing..._

_ But..._

_ "... **You don't deserve her... Shikamaru. That's why she's gone. And soon, the rest of you will be as well."**_

__Shikamaru woke up immediately, and felt himself surge forwards until he was sitting upright. His eyes were wide and his body was frantic for a few moments, as he reached out in front of him, and let out a soft, helpless scream. But then, his surroundings slowly began to return to him, and as his green environment became real to him again, he slowly placed his hand back towards his side, and took a deep breath.

Another bad dream.

He slouched forwards, and then took a quick look at his surroundings, just to make sure that it was all over. Sure enough, the world around him hadn't changed since he had fallen asleep. He was still in the makeshift camp that he, Ino and Choji had made, in the middle of the forest, about one day away from Konohagakure and half a day away from the fort where their mission would take place. He could see Ino sleeping peacefully and unbothered on the other side of a fire that he had set up earlier, and around said fire, placed against the trees that bordered their campsite, lay the two bags that the group had brought with them. Above him, through the leaves and thicket, he could see that a barely viewable new moon was present above them, accompanied by a torrent of stars. Finally, he felt his immediate surroundings, and found that no one had taken his own sleeping bag during his sleep.

He let himself yawn, but the moment he finished he heard a voice come from behind him.

"Shikamaru?"

He turned himself around, so that he was now facing the source of the voice as well as the fire, to see Choji Akimichi towering over him. Before he could process more facts, his old friend continued.

"Are you alright man? What happened down here?"

Shikamaru slowly held up one of his hands to silence his friend, and then took a few moments to finish composing himself. Soon he answered.

"Yeah...yeah I'm alright."

He moved one of his hands to wipe whatever saliva he had placed onto his own face, and then narrowed his eyes.

"Just... a bad dream."

"Oh, okay."

Choji shrugged, as Shikamaru sat himself up straight again, and took a deep breath.

"...What was it...?"

He then rolled his eyes.

"Oh... just a you know. Stress before the mission. I get it alot."

He didn't really want to think about that, and instead distracted himself with something else. Anything else.

"...How many more hours until I'm on watch?"

Choji glanced at the watch on his arm, and then shrugged.

"One. It's alright though, I got enough sleep the last time I was back home. I'll take over your turn."

There was a pause, but before Shikamaru could protest Choji held up one of his own hands.

"Trust me man, you need the sleep more than me." The bigger man then let himself lean up against a tree next to him.

"Especially with that plan of yours, right? You'll be doing a lot of thinking on the go. You need shut-eye for that."

Shikamaru nodded, and then slowly came fully into the reality he was in. He began to stretch his arms, before returning them within his bed.

Earlier in the day, while he had been running with his squad, he had given out their roles and moves to use during their rescue mission. Intel that Shikamaru had looked over the night before revealed that the fort had a large enemy presence, but also gave clues to where the captive leaf-nin was being held. The gist of it was that the group would scout the outside of the castle fort at first. Afterwards, Ino would use her jutsu to preform an interior survey using one of the guards, and afterwards, the same possessed guard would be used to free the captive. There was much that could go wrong with Shikamaru's plan, but even his own flaws he had covered within his mind. If Ino ran out of chakra, he himself could easily posses someone to do the job for him. If that failed, either he or Choji could do the dirty work from inside, providing that they avoided guards. If they were detected, then one of them would have to create a distraction a way off, to distract and disorient their enemies. All in all, it would be a simple mission.

Nevertheless, it still required some level of brain-power from Shikamaru on the site, as he would have to be thinking of alternatives and other strategical differences. He nodded.

"Pfft, you'll need to sleep too, you know," he muttered. His eyes drifted over to Ino's sleeping form, and then he sighed.

"You should see if she can spare some of her hours."

Choji shook his head almost immediately.

"Naa... she's been having a rough week. Lots of things to smooth over and decide at the Intel Core. I'll just stay up."

Shikamaru raised a brow at the news. He personally hadn't noticed anything different from her since the two had last spoken. Nothing about the banter they had shared suggested that she was stressed, and no part of how she moved or walked suggested that either. He thought that he was becoming a bit dense, before reaching a hand up to scratch his head.

"You don't say..." He muttered. He looked over to her sleeping form on the other side of the fire once again, and this time narrowed his eyes.

"What's up with her?"

"Oh, she's just focused on interrogating a prison-."

_Oh dear._

Choji covered his mouth for a moment, and then took a quiet, yet deep breath. Ino had told him to _not _do this particular thing and the very last thing that he and her needed Shikamaru doing the next day was thinking about Kankuro. At the very least, he wouldn't be able to think straight, and if something went wrong, it could easily end with the death of all three of them.

Before he could finish his thought process, Shikamaru had turned his head back towards him, and looked up again.

"Interrogating a prisoner? Who is it that she's so stressed...?"

Choji shrugged his shoulders by impulse, and then kept his face neutral.

"All she said was that it was a higher up. Someone we've been wanting to get for years."

Shikamaru brought his hands together in their signature stance, and then paused for a few moments.

"...Koto?"

"Umm, no." 

"Akemi?"

"I don't think so."

"Ka-."

Choji could only keep up his lying for so long.

"She didn't get into specifics," he said flatly. "Either way... yeah. I'm good just going the whole night. There are only three hours left anyways, and Karui packed me some extra muffins. They should keep me up."

Shikamaru could see his friend swoon for a moment over the memory of his wife, before he changed the topic of the conversation.

"You sure you're okay though? I mean... mind-wise..." 

_Not this question again._

"...Like-."

"Choji, I'll be fine in that department, trust me."

"Alright."

Choji leaned himself off the tree, and then began to stand freely. Shikamaru could see that his eyes were full of worry, yet his voice made no implication of it. He sighed, then looked away from him.

"Well, I'll leave you to get some sleep then. I'll talk to you in the morning. See you in around three hours."

Shikamaru nodded, and Choji leaped away. Soon Shikamaru lost sight of him in the trees above him and Ino. Once he was the only conscious person in his surrounding, he let himself think back to the nightmare he had had.

It wasn't his first nightmare, and definitely wasn't the first one he had suffered where Gaara had showed up. In truth, ever since the day Temari had died, his sleep had been regularly interrupted by the man, him always appearing right when Shikamaru was about to achieve peace or bliss. Almost as if he was the only thing in between him and her.

In truth, there was much more between the two of them now. A tombstone, grass, and 6 feet of dirt.

He cringed, and then instinctively reached for the spot on his right arm where he held both of their headbands. Neither Choji nor Ino had noticed him wearing it yet, which was good, for it would've been a bit embarrassing and frustrating for Shikamaru to explain why he wore it now. After a moment, he looked down, and then examined the rest of his body. The pendant he wore around his neck was still there and still shone through, and his hands left her forehead protector to his necklace. The object being made out of the same material as her forehead protector...

And the rings that Shikamaru had bought for the two of them, all those years ago.

He took a breath, and then closed his eyes. Whatever he was thinking about wasn't working, and he wouldn't find the cure to his nightmares now, not in the middle of the night. What would make him feel better at the moment, however, was the ability to shut his eyes, and simply preform his best in the morning. More importantly, Choji and Ino's lives were in his hands now, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he became responsible for the deaths of his childhood friends.

So he finally let himself lay down again, and he closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he finally drifted back to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wakey wakey..."

"...Three more minutes."

"Come on Sleeping Beauty... it's daylight."

"...Three more minutes Sai..."

"Oh _**Innnooo**_-"

"I SAID THREE MORE MINUTES SAI!"

By sheer reflex, Ino reached out a hand towards the direction of the voice, and then lifted herself up so that she was sitting up in her sleeping bag. When she finally calmed herself down, she saw that her reflex had ended up with Choji being thrown towards the ground, landing on his ass, and with a small red bruise beginning to form on his cheek. Her hand was near his face, and outstretched in a slapping position.

"...Oops."

Shikamaru appeared from the other side of her, and went to help Choji get up. Ino looked around her to see that it was morning, and that the sun was beginning to rise into the sky from behind the trees that surrounded them. She looked over to see that her group had already put away their campfire, and a quick look at her two partners revealed that they were all ready to go. Just waiting on her.

"Ino!" She could hear Choji mutter. He was rubbing the red spot on his head frantically as Shikamaru helped him to stand up.

"What was that for? Is this how you usually wake up in the morning?"

Ino slowly began to blush, as she swung her legs out of her sleeping bag. She had been wearing her uniform to sleep, so there was nothing to put on. Meanwhile, Shikamaru turned to her with a teasing look.

"You thought _I _was Sai? Come on, I look nothing like him."

Ino then watched him as he slowly moved his hands to remove his ponytail, letting his hair fall down his back. He then narrowed his eyes, and then slowly raised one of his hands up, before breaking into one of the small, light smiles that Sai was known for.

"_'Well actually I think you might have a point',_" he said, imitating her husband almost perfectly. "_'Now come on Ino. Let's go with Inojin to check up on our flower shop-.'_ "

And with that, Shikamaru found himself flying towards a tree near the both of them.

Choji tried to stifle his laugh, but eventually found himself doing the action out loud. Meanwhile, Ino rolled herself out of her sleeping bag and began to put it away. Choji slowly moved himself over to the tree that Shikamaru had landed against.

The Nara Clan Leader was now rubbing his head as well. The punch wasn't hard at all, Ino would never intentionally _hurt _him of course, but it would serve as a good reminder not to tease her ever again. Well, at least not about that.

"Troublesome."

Choji helped him stand as he had done earlier. As the two men made their way back towards their common aggressor, Ino let out a small, satisfied smirk. In response, Shikamaru gave a defeated smile.

It had been a while since he had been able to play around like this.

Her pack had been filled, and by the looks of it, she was ready to go.

"Alright then," Shikamaru said, still rubbing his head. "Just to make sure, everyone's ready, right?"

"Roger."

"Yup."

Shikamaru stretched his hands out, and then nodded in agreement.

"Good. And everyone's alright with the plan, right?"

"Roger."

"Yup."

"Alrighty then. Well... from my estimates... we should get to the fort by sundown. We should probably do the operation then, that is, if we're not tired."

Shikamaru stretched his neck, and then took a quick glance at both of his comrades-. No, _friends. _They didn't seem to be in any real duress, and they seemed like they would be fine for another half day of running. But then again, he was seeing if they were fine now, and not after the long journey they still had in front of them. He would just look over them again once they finally arrived at the fort.

He turned himself around, and then looked up into the trees, before quickly finding the first branch he'd have to step on in his journey. He took a breath.

"Right. Let's get there, get the hostage, finish this quickly, and then get you guys home to your families."

Before he could jump off, however, Ino spoke up.

"_All of our families, _Shikamaru. You still have Shikadai waiting for you at home."

"... I know. It's just that we're no-."

"Just because it's small doesn't mean you two aren't a family."

_...True..._

Shikamaru mentally slapped himself for his train of thought. He hadn't before considered the fact that he and his son still made up a family, no matter how makeshift and incomplete it might have seemed t some others. And, now more than ever, him getting home was important to him. Shikadai deserved to have a father.

He didn't want Shikadai to lose his old man ten years before he had lost his own.

He nodded, and then took a gulp.

"Right. Thanks for the reminder."

He returned his eyes to the branch in front of him.

"Now let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a full twelve hours before the Ino-Shika-Cho trio arrived at the fort.

Just as Shikamaru had seen on the map back in the war room, it was situated on a small peninsula, surrounded by where two rivers met. The woods that they were in led up to the very front gates that surrounded it, and at the front of the gates the both of them could see two large shinobi standing, with unlit lanterns hanging next to them. Every other side of the fort, aside from the side that held the gate, was surrounded by the rushing waters of either side of the river. A quick glance would reveal that anyone foolish or crazy enough to try to enter via this path would likely end up drowning. The fort itself was only three stories high, but it was large and wide enough for Shikamaru to get confused just from looking at it. Finally, along with the main and only gate to the wall that surrounded the fort, there was a wall that held it, and on certain positions on the wall the group could see Sand nin, standing to guard.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, and then stopped running. Behind him, both Ino and Choji stopped on their branches, before slowly making their way closer to him, as silently as possible. The three of them were now standing within a tree that was situated at a higher position in front of the main gate. They were hidden behind the leaves as it stood, and as the sun began to set from the sky, they knew that they would get even better cover as time went by.

Once they were all stopped, Ino quickly took out her binoculars, and put them on, looking through the leaves to all around the fort. She looked at the front gates, a few positions on the wall, and on the balconies of each of the fort's three floors. She then blinked her eyes.

"Two by the front gate," she reported. "Eight in total on the actual wall, from what I can see.. There's only one guard on the actual fort balconies, and he's on the second floor." She then turned her attention to the front gates of the actual castle, and then looked around the courtyard for a few moments.

"Looks like there's three people by the actual gate and six milling around the courtyard." She then lowered her binoculars and sighed.

"Full house."

Shikamaru placed his hands together in his signature pose, and then spent moments watching the movement of the fort. The people by the gate were walking to and fro, while the people in the courtyard were sitting around a single campfire, presumably resting. From where he was standing, the people on the wall looked like they were just watching out for intruders. The three by the actual castle doors were standing in place, one at either side of the door, and the third in the middle of the doors.

Shikamaru let his mind begin to run.

"... Would you two be interested in a... night attack?" He whispered, careful to not gain any attention from the guards that were in front of him. Choji and Ino gave each other a quick glance, before answering for themselves.

"...Depends. What are you thinking about?"

Shikamaru answered quickly.

"If you two are tired, we can always call it a night and just try this in the morning. But... because it's getting dark... I'm thinking they might not expect us..."

He looked closer at the courtyard, and then nodded.

"There aren't enough of them, from what we can see, to fill a fortification of this size and magnitude. But at the same time, there aren't enough of _us _that can take all of them on. And there's only one way into the fort, which is through the front. It might be risky... but I know a way of doing all of this right now. All I'd need to do is edit the one I told you guys earlier by a small bit..."

There was a silence, then Shikamaru returned with his voice.

"Well? What do you think?"

He didn't need to wait very long for their answers.

"Sure, why not?"

"Not very tired... so yeah."

Shikamaru nodded, and then he turned himself towards Ino.

"Alright. First... I'm going to need more information. Could you use your Mind-Transfer Jutsu on a guard to check things out from the inside?"

Ino nodded, and then immediately went to work. She slowly placed her hands together into her family's seal, and aimed at one of the two guards ...

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

Shikamaru braced himself to catch Ino's body as she slumped back onto him. Choji kept an eye on the guard she had chosen, and in moments, he could see the particular guard pause and blink, almost rejuvenated.

She was in.

The two of them waited for a long while for Ino to return. As the time passed, both Shikamaru and Choji let themselves take their minds off hte mission, and their speech was more related to simply catching up. In the weeks since the incident had happened, the two hadn't seen much of each other, and as old friends were, any chance to speak to one another wasn't wasted. However, after around half an hour, Shikamaru felt Ino come back to life, and he slowly set her up against one of the branches that she was next to.

The first thing that he noted was the fact that she was sweating.

"I have... more intel for you," she muttered. Shikamaru leaned in to listen to her better, and Choji joined him.

"There are around twenty two guards on the inside. I was able to find where they were holding the hostage as well, and it's on the top floor. He's... a young boy, but then again I guess you already knew that. Only issue is that that floor has seven people on it, and the room that he's in is guarded by a tough looking woman."

Ino wiped some sweat off of her brow, and then took a breath.

"Or rather, she _was _there. I was able to persuade her to go on a break, and only three of the seven guys on the top floor are still there. But I have no idea when they'll get back."

"Is anyone there notable?" Shikamaru asked. "Like... any higher ups?"

"Nobody special from what I could see. Everyone was a jonin, though."

Shikamaru placed a hand at his chin. It was weird that a bunch of Jonin would simply be sitting around a fort without any real leadership, but he didn't have time to think that through. If Ino had already acted, he only had so much time to follow through on it before her work went to waste.

And he knew exactly how to finish it off.

"Alright then... since you've already done things- wait. Did they detect that you were different? At all?" 

"No, of course not. The original guard's waking up in a washroom. He'll probably think he had a hangover."

"Ok. You said three people in total are left on the top floor with the hostage then, right?"

"Right."

Shikamaru took a look back out to the fort, and measured the distance between the tree that they were in and the 3rd floor of the fort. From where he stood, he could see that it wouldn't take him more than ten seconds to run across the wall, run up the walls of the fort and onto the top floor. But then, there was still a large presence of enemies in the fort, and if he alone was caught then it would be trouble. His face being recognizable, it might even result in his death.

He couldn't have it.

At the very same time, a distraction could take some of the heat off of him. Whoever left on the 3rd floor after that would be easy for him to deal with.

He turned his head to Choji, and then raised a brow.

"Choji, how good are you at distractions?"

Choji shrugged.

"Pretty good."

"Alright then. I'll need you to make a distraction then, using the forest around you. Run around, smash a bunch of this forest down, and maybe set some trees on fire. When you're done, meet Ino back up here, and by then I should be in the fort getting the hostage."

"You?" Ino asked. She raised a brow.

"You want to go in the fort-"

"I'm the best person here with mid-ranged attacks. Choji could kick my ass in close-range any day, but I'm much faster than he is. I could get in and grab the hostage in the time that his distraction takes some guards off. Then, this mission would be over."

Shikamaru quickly stretched his hands, and then looked towards Ino.

"For now, just stay here and wait for us to finish up. Warn us if any of the guards get too keen on what we're doing."

"Do we have a rendezvous point other than here? In case things go wrong?"

"Of course."

Shikamaru pointed to the river that flowed on the fort's east side. Both Ino and Choji followed, and he continued.

"That river is the Danzo."

He then pointed Northwards, away from the fort and up the river.

"In that direction there's a neutral aligned inn and hot springs. If anything goes wrong, I want you all to meet me there. If one of us doesn't show up by mid-day tomorrow, then we're coming back to take a look for whoever's missing."

He gripped one of his fists.

"I'm not going to let one of us get left behind."

Both Ino and Choji smiled at this, and Choji flexed his muscles briefly, before looking at the forest below him. Shikamaru nodded, and then gave his old friend a thumbs up.

"Alright... start it up now. Good luck buddy."

Choji jumped down from the tree, and Ino and Shikamaru watched as he ran through the forest and towards an area away from them. Moments passed, as after a few words of banter towards each other, they began to see trees toppling over in a distance, loudly and suddenly. Ino used her binoculars to see that the guards by the front gate, as well as the guards by the door to the castle, began to look over in the same direction that the trees were falling in disbelief, and eventually all of them began to run towards the commotion.

_That's my cue._

Shikamaru turned to leave.

"Remember, if anything goes wrong, meet me by that inn."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had been a really simple thing, rescuing the captured chuunin.

Like he had predicted, Choji's distraction had nearly completely cleared the top floor of the fort, and the one man who was left didn't notice Shikamaru until the man had knocked him out. The captive had been tied up on his knees in a corner, and with a quick swipe of the kunai, the boy was freed. The chuunin, a young man with short, orange hair, arrow-like features and purple eyes, wanted to tell Shikamaru something, but the man had advised that the boy wait until they were both in safety and away from prying eyes. And with that, the two of them made their way out of the fort and back into the temporary leafy hideout where Choji and Ino were waiting for them.

They were both excited to see Shikamaru, and with Shikamaru bringing back the hostage, they all knew that their mission was nearly over. The only thing left to do was to bring the chuunin back to his team, and the only thing in between them and Konohagakure was thousands of aches of quiet, unoccupied forest.

When Shikamaru arrived with the previously captured Chuunin, Ino looked out behind him once again. The guards that had left the front gate were heading back to return, and it would only be a matter of time before they realized that their captive was gone. So, after letting themselves rest for a few moments, the group of four then began to run back the way that they came.

By now, it was dark. After a few jumps, the group had had to slow down to light themselves a few lanterns, one for each of them. By then, they were all tired, save for the newly rescued chuunin, but Shikamaru still suggested that they needed to get further away from the fort to be safe enough to rest.

And so time passed. Minutes turned to half hours, and half hours became complete ones. Eventually, the group stopped running and began to walk amongst the underbrush of the forest. By then, the moon was the only thing other than their lanterns that was giving off any real source of light. It was rapidly getting cold as well, not as cold as it would have been during the nighttime of a desert, but freezing none-the-less.

"How much further Shikamaru?" Choji asked. "I mean, it's been hours. I don't think they even know where we are at this point."

Shikamaru nearly tripped himself over a log. As they had travelled, he noticed that they were slowly and slowly getting into an older part of the forest, a part of the forest he knew was close to home.

"Almost there guys," he said. "Just a bit further and we'll be out of the woods, so to speak."

Ino looked up at Shikamaru from her position behind him. Throughout the entire mission, she noticed his calm tone and controlled voice. Contrary to her previous belief, it seemed like he wasn't completely unstable. There hadn't been much of a lapse of his sanity during the mission, ad he had even joked around with her during it.

It seemed like the old Shikamaru wasn't dead after all.

"I can't believe I got rescued by the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho." Ino turned her eyes and saw that the chuunin they had rescued was now trying to make friendly conversation with the three of them.

"I mean... to be honest I don't know if I should be... honoured or... embarrassed?"

"Pfft," Ino said. "More like normal. Everyone gets captured now and then. The thing is, we all just work on trying to make it happen less."

The chuunin nodded.

"It's just that... you guys are fucking legendary-. Shi- I mean, crap. Excuse my language."

"It's all good," Choji said.

"Yeah... so... thanks."

"Your welcome, but don't thank us yet," Shikamaru warned. "We're not home yet-."

Suddenly, Shikamaru a shuffling in the trees above him. And shortly after, he saw a long, white object fall out of it...

And shortly after...

Ino let out a light grunt.

Immediately, all three of them turned over to her. She grimaced for a moment, before moving herself so that she was standing up tall once again. She saw everyone looking at her, and she narrowed her eyes.

"...What?"

Shikamaru took a gulp.

"You mean you don't see-"

"See what-"

"You don't feel it?"

"Feel what-."

"Ino... reach for the right side of your belly."

She blushed, and then slowly moved her hands to the location they had told her to...

And once her eyes followed her hands, she noticed that she had a long, straight arrow in it. Inserted through the back, and coming out of her front. Wooden, strong and true.

Her eyes widened...

"_**NOW! BARRAGE!"**_

__And suddenly, the four of them heard the loud, stifling sound of a torrent of arrows losing. Shikamaru looked up to the source of the sound, the treetops above them, and widened his eyes in fear and shock as he watched as arrows came raining down on him and his group.

"...Holy fuck-."

The arrows continued to race down below, towards the group of Leaf Ninja...

_**"Partial Expansion Jutsu!"**_

Before they could, however, Choji had swelled his arm up and lifted it above the four of them. The size of the arm meant that he was able to block all of the arrows, and the few that stuck into his arm fell off when he returned his arm to it's regular size. Shikamaru's mind began to think fast, and his eyes quickly left the sight above them, and returned to the direction the four had previously been travelling.

"Get to the rendezvous point! Now!"

And with that, the members of the current Ino-Shika-Cho, along with the rescued chuunin, began to run as fast as their feet could carry them.

Despite the circumstances they were in, Shikamaru noticed that they were all running nearly completely in sync. Ino had ripped the arrow out of her gut before they had began to run, and now the wound that had been caused by it was open, and some of her blood was dripping onto the forest floor below. After a few moments, she was able to finally cover it with a piece of her sleeve, but it still wouldn't be good enough. They needed to stop and check the wound, and all four of them knew it.

But for now, they had to run. Run, and run as fast as they could. They were a powerful team, but even they knew that they had no luck against possibly an entire fort of enemy ninja. Not in their condition. Not until Shikamaru could stop and figure out a proper attack plan.

And so they ran, and ran, and ran. For at least a half hour...

Until Choji, Ino and the Chuunin all instantly evaporated into thin air.

In shock, Shikamaru stopped in his tracks. He looked around himself, and found that he was completely alone now. Nothing was in the area he stood in, other than the trees that simultaneously hid him and blocked his vision.

That was, until he heard some trees rustle a bit too suddenly, and he instantly placed his hands together into a seal.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

He sent a shadow up a tree, and then used his other shadow to cut down another. As he had predicted, the tree that he had cut down held two sand nin, and when they jumped from the tree towards him, he redirected his other shadow towards them, catching them in mid-air, and then he threw them towards the bark of another great tree. He heard some rustling behind him, and then reflexively jumped to his right, his previous position being riddled with arrows shortly after. He used one of his shadows to retrieve these arrows, and then threw them back in the direction they had came. Shortly afterwards, he heard a series of grunts and moans, and he watched as three shinobi fell from the tree, each of them with an arrow wound within them.

_I'm surrounded. Fuck._

He turned his head back to his previous position, and looked towards the tree where he had expended two of his attackers. They were still out, and he took this opportunity to climb up a tree vertically, and then begin to run on it's branches, leaping from tree to tree in the direction of the river.

Even if him and the rest of his group had truly been separated, they knew where to find him, and he knew where to find them-.

"Going somewhere, _Shikamaru?"_

He turned his head in the direction of the voice to see a series of shuriken come towards him. He instantly ducked below them, then let himself drop back to the forest ground where he had been before, still running in the same direction as before. He didn't' have time to think of the ramifications of-.

Until he felt a sudden, large amount of pain towards his right shoulder. He turned his head to see that an arrow had been shot into it.

He grunted in pain, but he couldn't let it stop him from getting to his destination. He couldn't let the enemy get him, now now and not ever. He couldn't' get himself become another dead shinobi. Not now, not ever.

Shikadai was waiting at home for him. He said that he'd get back in a week, and he always kept his promises.

As he ran, he pulled the arrow out, and then threw it to the ground beside him. As he had seen Ino doing earlier, he ripped off a piece of his sleeve and began to wrap it around his new wound...

Until he felt another arrow imbed itself through his hand and onto the same shoulder that he had been trying to cover.

This time he yelped, and the shock was enough to cause him to trip over the root of a tree and fall over. Once he had done so, he felt another arrow enter him through the lower left side of his chest, almost next to his heart. This time, he let himself cry out.

He wouldn't do so ever again.

He heard some feet fall to the ground next to him, and slowly used his one free hand to roll himself off of his face and onto his back. At the very least, he'd let himself see the ones who killed him...

And he was surprised to see four men he had never seen before.

All four of them wore jonin flak jackets, and because of this Shikamaru was able to at least know that they were higher ranking sand ninja. The one who stood in front and closest to him, however, looked a bit more special compared to the other two. For one, he looked a little bit older, mid twenties to early thirties, was a bit taller, and he wore a series of bandages on his visible neck and chin. There was a small bruise on his lower right lip, and his eyes were small, but a bright and noticeable yellow. His hair was long and a near purple colour, and it was tied into a loose bun, with some of his hair still frayed and free.

He looked different, but was still not familiar enough for Shikamaru to make any conclusions. Instead, he simply stared up at the man who now held his life, and kept a neutral and uncaring look. All while he tried his best to think of a way to escape where he was.

"I knew it." The man's voice was deep and dark, completely unlike his appearance. "You _are _Shikamaru. Shikamaru Nara. Konohagakure's main strategist. The Hokage's second hand man... The man who Gaara said was _**dead**_."

He grit his teeth.

"The man who killed Kankuro of the Black Sands."

Shikamaru widened his eyes, before narrowing them again, and accepting what he had said. It was true. Kankuro had been reported to be dead on the day that Temari had passed away, but he had been under the idea that Gaara still thought that he himself had been alive. It seemed like he had been wrong.

The Nara Clan Head then turned himself back to the man in front of him, and then continued to watch his movements. The standing man walked closer to the downed one, and then widened his eyes.

"You know... as you ran, me and my crew here, we thought about _**killing **_you. Of course, the only thing a man like you deserves is to die out here all alone. For the things you've done, because of the orders you gave. And it's common knowledge in the desert that a man should seek to kill the one who murdered his master..."

Shikamaru was unaffected. He had heard this type of speech a million times before, and if he survived this day, he'd hear it at least another billion times before his own death. What he was more interested in was the jutsu that had caused him to believe that he had been following Choji, Ino and the rescued Chuunin all this time.

It had to be Genjutsu of some sort. If the man in front of him had been the one to cast it, then at least Shikamaru would be able to die by the hands of a prodigy.

But he still didn't want to die yet. There was still a million and one things that he had not done yet. Shikadai was too young to lose his father. His village was still in the middle of a war.

He still hadn't fulfilled his promise to Temari.

He felt as if her headband had just pulsed through his body, as he suddenly had a bout of new energy. He quickly moved his free hand to his stuck hand, and made himself preform a hackneyed, yet effective makeshift seal-.

Before he found his free hand being thrown to the other side of his body.

Shikamaru cursed, but then tried to move his hand again. It was of no use, and soon he looked towards his newly captured hand to see that it had been wrapped in a series of blue chakra strings.

He slowly moved his eyes towards the man who stood in front of him to see that he was holding the strings from his fingers.

_...A puppet master._

"As I was saying before I was so _rudely _interrupted..."

To show off his strength, he manoeuvred his fingers, and therefore used Shikamaru's own hand to slap him. The three men behind him chuckled, and he continued.

"I have every right and mind at the moment to end your life where you lay. What I _should _do is kill you here, and leave you to die the same way you left thousands to die. All alone in the middle of a frigid forest..."

He took a step closer to Shikamaru, and then focused his eyes to the pendant-ring that he was wearing around his neck.

"...But something tells me that I'd be doing more good for the war if I just brought you back to Sunagakure with us. Something tells me that Gaara would appreciate that _very much._"

_No..._

Shikamaru suddenly wished that the men in front of him would kill him.

But it was too late for that. Harshly and quickly, the man reached forwards and pulled the ring-pendant that Shikamaru had been wearing right off of his neck. Shikamaru tried to move forwards to stop him, but before he could do anything more, the man had hit him in the face, and caused him to throw his head back once again. Once he had done so, the man in front of him spat onto his face.

Frantically, Shikamaru shook his head, and then used his eyes to look around at his surroundings. There was no way out of this, as it seemed, and he was completely helpless. Like he had already been, so many times in his life before...

But this time, Temari wasn't there to save him. And the fact that she wasn't returned to his mind, and began to torture him as it had done so many years before.

The man in front of him then stood up, and raised one of his feet.

"... I should mention, just to be polite. My name's Nakazo. 3rd highest ranking person in the Puppet Core, and Kankuro's former student."

He paused, and seemed to be confused for a split moment. But when Shikamaru tried to move his arms for the last time, he seemed to come back to his senses.

"Yes... that is my name... Well. Goodnight, Nara."

_...Shikadai...wait for me. Wait for your old man. It just looks like I'm going to have to take a long and troublesome detour home._

When Nakazo lowered his foot to Shikamaru's neck, he lost all consciousness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_AN: Just to inform you all, there's a pattern with the names of my Puppet-master related OC s. Shiori is relatively unrelated to this theme, but the names Kankuro, Nakazo and Okuni are all related to one another. I'll leave it to you guys to figure out why :D! Use Wikipedia is my only clue._

_Anyways, I'm going to try and get this next chapter out by this Saturday or Sunday. Thank you for reading as always, and remember to R&amp;R if you can! _


	30. The Sand

_AN: Well, it's time for Shikamaru to be brought to Gaara XD._

_There's not going to be a lot of variety in this chapter, just to warn you all. It's mostly going to be... well. Shikamaru, Nakazo and Gaara. _

_Either way, let's get this started, alright?_

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Shikamaru!"

"Choji! Not so loud! What if someone hears-."

"Shikamaru?! Where are you?"

Ino Yamanaka looked at the larger man in front of her, and then lowered her head. She watched as Choji frantically rounded the bend, and lead the two who were behind him into deeper and darker forest. Even though it was sunny, it being the middle of the day, Ino and the chuunin that had been rescued the day before still struggled to follow Choji's fast and frenzied pace.

As she followed him, she herself was making sure that she did her own search of the area. It had been half a day since Shikamaru Nara had been separated from them via an optical illusion, and the two were now in the very same forest they had been the night before, along with the chuunin that they had rescued. They had been at it for hours, ever since the sun had come up, and so far there had not a clue to where their squad leader and friend had ended up. And the place he promised to meet them was deserted.

And the fact that Shikamaru had been missing so long, after the circumstances they had witnessed the night before, while the three of them were undoubtedly still being hunted by the shinobi from the fort, was making the both of them worried sick.

And making Choji feel guilty as Hell.

"Cmon Shikamaru..." Ino whispered as she quickly followed after Choji, who was now jogging throughout the forests' dark under bush. There were exposed roots, shrubs, and saplings all along the area, as well as large, old trees, making traversing it difficult. Behind her, the chuunin that they had rescued the night before kept himself quiet, and simply followed after as quickly as his feet could have taken him.

Choji continued to rush through the forest, making sure to look for anything unusual in the area. Ever since he and Ino had met, he hadn't been able to sleep a wink, instead staying up to watch over Ino all night, before heading off with her in the morning to search for signs of Shikamaru. Everything about the situation that they were in spelt out the worst possibilities. His receiver was broken, his tracker was off. The last they had seen of him, he had been running off the same way they all had been. Until he had disappeared, revealing that the real Shikamaru was likely running _away _from them.

And worst still, they had been pursued by an unknown number of assailants the night before. He knew better than anyone that Shikamaru, while being the Leaf's greatest strategist, was not skilled in hand to hand combat, especially not all by himself. It was a possibility that he had been murdered by the people they fought the day before.

Or even worse…. Captured.

Shikamaru had shared his fear of being taken captive by Sunagakure to Choji before, on a mission years ago. Around a small camp fire, deep within enemy territory, surrounded by sand, scorpions and the chill of a desert's night. He had told him Temari's stories of what Sunagakure did to their captives, especially ones of high rank, and her predictions to what would happen if he himself was ever taken in. He had shared his fear of being duped, of becoming weak, of ever letting out an ounce of information to their enemies. Worst, he feared being separated from his family, and stopped himself before he thought about what would happen if him and Temari's secret was ever found out.

Bitterly, he had stated that he'd rather be _killed _than be used against his own village. If he had been taken captive, then he was literally in Hell.

With this at the front of his mind, Choji continued to rush forwards, nearly tripping over a root as he did so. Ino was close behind him, and the look on her face revealed that the two friends were feeling the same way about the situation; panicked and worried. They had both known Shikamaru since childhood, and for him to slip into danger under their fingers was mortifying and horrifying. They had all sworn an oath when they were children to protect one another, and yet here they were. In the middle of a forest, searching for the Shika to their trio. All while the sun in the sky slowly began to burn out.

"Shikamaru!? Shikamaru?!"

Choji knew that Shikamaru would've scolded him for being so loud, but the state that he was in didn't permit him to care about that fact at all. All he cared about was finding his friend. His best friend. The one who had saved his life plenty of times before. Perhaps now was the time that he did the same.

He quickly moved through the forest, before he finally caught sight of something that would make their search a little easier.

A pool of blood.

Choji stopped, and then looked around, making sure that no one but him, Ino and the chuunin were around. Once he had made sure that they were alone, he slowly took the scene in front of him in. The area that they were in was more tattered and torn than the area they had been in previously, and along with a fallen tree, there was a small pool of blood near a standing tree, along with an arrow that had been stuck into the tree. Choji quickly rushed forwards to get a closer look.

Ino rushed forwards behind him, and knelt before the red. She narrowed her eyes at it, before taking a deep breath. It was a dark red, and quite a bit of it had dried, but she could still tell that it had been a recent bleeding. All of her years as a medical ninja were finally coming to use on this mission.

"Do you think this might be…."

Before he finished her sentence, her eyes moved from the dried red towards Choji's face. Once defeated, yet angry look, told her everything about what he was thinking, and her comment died in her throat. She looked up at the arrow above her, and then held her breath.

..._He was shot like I was-._

"Ino, Choji?"

The two of them slowly turned their heads towards the chuunin behind them. His face was in the same position as theirs, but they both knew it was more out of respect than out of fear. Of course, he didn't know Shikamaru as well as they did.

"….There's a trial of it. It leads towards the river."

As quickly as he had spoken, both Choji and Ino had risen from their positions near the pool of blood, and had moved over to where the chuunin was now pointing. Sure as day, what they viewed was a series of blood drops, heading towards a clearing in the forest.

And as quickly as they had seen this, they rushed off to follow the trial.

It took them a while, but eventually they had reached the edge of the forest again. As they had moved, they noticed that the blood stains on the forest floor and the bark of the trees was steadily getting more and more defined, as if Shikamaru had been bleeding harsher and harsher. Once they reached the clearing, however, they had both reached the end of their predictions.

The clearing they had reached… was gorgeous.

The Danzo river flowed peacefully and quietly, and around it the grass was green and true. The tree line between the river and the rest of the forest was calmly and naturally defined, the wind blew softly, and the sun was illuminating the area, showcasing it's beauty for the three of them to see.

But that wasn't what had caught Ino's and Choji's attention.

"...No..."

Choji took a few steps in front of Ino, as Ino stood still, still frozen and unable to say anything else. He continued to make his steps lightly and softly, before he finally was next to the river. Before he finally looked down, to the object just in front of the slowly rushing stream.

Yes, the area that Ino, Choji, and the rescued Chuunin had arrived in was beautiful as anything. But the masterpiece of nature that was laid in front of them had one singular flaw. And that flaw had ruined everything else.

The flaw was the existence of a burned cadaver, it's entire body mummified in bandages, save for the top of it's head, revealing it's long, black ponytail. Around it's neck was a ringed pendant, and near the wraps that covered it's head, there was a single cigarette, the last remnants of it's smoke flying into the sky.

And once Ino finally got a good look at the same sight that Choji was on, she found it very hard to breathe.

"..."

Choji slowly knelt down, and tried to keep himself calm for the first time on this day. Reaching a hand forwards, he slowly took the pendant off the body, and held it closer to his face. As he heard the water's rushing in front of him, he slowed his breathing, and focused his eyes on the inscription on the inside of the small, iron halo.

_I love you, Shikamaru. __Stay safe__._

_ -Temari Nara_

Choji gulped. The _Nara _had been etched in extra carefully and extra strongly. With pride. And if the hair...no…

He gripped the pendant in his hands, and it quickly disappeared. Behind him, he could hear both Ino and the Chuunin's footsteps come closer to him, and soon Ino was kneeling as he was. Instead of the pendant, she inspected the cigarette close to the corpse's mouth bandages, reaching for it, before holding it up, letting the smoke that remained exiting from it come to her face.

"… This was recently lit."

This time her words did not fail her. Choji, however, still didn't say a word to her. She didn't blame him in the slightest, as the emotions that were beginning to run through his mind were running through hers.

The cigarette was recently lit, the body had the same hair as he did, and the pendant was the same. It was also the same size as him. There was little mistaking it.

"… He would be… No…."

Ino's voice fell silent again. Choji closed his eyes, and then slowly placed the pendant back on the body.

"...It's…..It's..."

He wouldn't let himself cry. He was almost 40 now, and 40 year olds didn't cry.

"….Him…. Isn't it?"

Ino tried to answer, but the words were caught in her throat. The chuunin behind them stayed silent out of reverence.

"...I….Shika-..."

His fists gripped.

"You…."

He bit his lips.

"This isn't…."

Ino lowered her eyes.

"_This can't be you..."_

Burned to death in the middle of a forest.

Such a horrible way to die.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru hated sand. He had always hated sand. Ten years married to a woman _from _the sand had done nothing to change that.

He hated how it stung his feet as he walked across it, he hated how it burned his skin. He hated how, during sandstorms, it would whip up into his face, choking him for air and water. He hated how the sand ruined the soil, how it forced the trees of his homeland to stay as far away from Sunagakure was possible, lest they grow weak and sickly.

And most importantly, he hated how he was expected to walk across it now, as he and his captors had finally reached the land where the forest met the desert.

As the sun began to set in the sky, Shikamaru thought back to re-evaluate the day he had suffered through. After waking up within the same cell that he had rescued the chuunin from sometime during the morning, he had been blindfolded, and then lead out of his cell. After a few hours of a forced march, his blindfold had been taken off, and his surroundings were then a menacing, dark and sprawling forest, his companions being four sand shinobi, two men, two women. One of them was Nakazo.

His bindings had been rechecked and tightened, his hands bound together in front of his being, and all of his weapons confiscated, hastily thrown away into the environment around them. And then, after a few scare insults and a quick hit to the head for good measure, a warning to not try to run away, the reins of his chains had been given to another ninja, and he had been dragged along with the four on their journey, undoubtedly heading back to Sunagakure.

And now that they were where the sand met the trees, Shikamaru knew that the Hidden Sand Village wasn't far ahead. Soon, his capture would be complete. Soon, he would be completely helpless, even more so than he was now.

He gripped his fists, and then lowered his eyes. He wouldn't let that happen.

Nakazo, standing in front of him, did a quick survey of their area, turning his head back and forth. The long, tall trees that marked entrance to the Land of Fire was behind them, and the group was now standing in a dying tree wall, the soil beneath them a weaker sort of sand. In front of them, there was a flat stretch of desert, but even with the declining light in the sky, he could see some hills and dunes in the distance in front of them. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he turned his head and nodded to a kunoichi behind him.

"There is no one around," he reported. "Let us get back home quickly, yes?"

Then, his eyes turned a bit more, and he let them stay on Shikamaru for a moment longer. The captured Leaf Shinobi bitterly noted that Nakazo was taller than him by quite a bit.

"You too, _**butcher. **_Lord Kazekage waiting for you, after all."

Shikamaru looked at him with a gaining sense of anger. The man had been calling him that all day long, and the nickname was beginning to eat away at his senses.

He didn't need a reminder of what he was.

When Nakazo jumped forwards, the kunoichi who was behind him jumped forwards as well. Shikamaru looked down at his wrists, and then began to visualize an idea. He only had so much time to escape, and they were a day and a half away from their final destination. If he wanted to be free, he needed to make his move _**now.**_

The shinobi that held him in her grasp rushed forwards as well, and the momentum caused Shikamaru to run forwards as well. Soon, they were out of the barrier between the two lands, and running through sand dunes and dives. They were completely in the Land of Wind.

Shikamaru struggled to see forwards as his hair began to slap against his face. Just to humiliate him, they had taken his hair bands away as well, and now his long hair was beginning to become a nuisance. But, he couldn't let a simple distraction such as that blind him from his true goal. So as he ran, he looked down to his wrists and began to run what remained of his chakra to them.

They ran for hours, and soon the sun in the sky was but a memory until the next day. That was the time that Nakazo had stopped for a brief moment, and then handed a lantern to each sand shinobi, and announced his attentions to continue to run through the night, so that they would reach Sunagakure by daybreak. He then used a portable radio to call forwards.

"Hello? Yes..."

He then froze up suddenly, and Shikamaru continued to pump chakra to his hands. This hadn't been the first time that he had seen the puppet master freeze completely, and he began to wonder if it was a common occurrence for him, born of some personal issue. He heard some clattering on the other side of the phone, and after about a minute, Nakazo blinked back to action and finished his call.

"Sorry. It is me, Nakazo. I am bringing something important back to Sunagakure..."

He then removed the device from his ears for a few moments, and once again Shikamaru heard some radio interference on the other side. After it ended, Nakazo's mouth returned to the receiver.

"Yes yes, I know. The fort is still well guarded. But trust me… we have an important person here with us. He is right here."

He then slowly began to walk towards the captured leaf shinobi, and he began to notice that the bandaged man's walk was uneven. Once he was next to Shikamaru, he removed the receiver from his ears, and then placed it next to his mouth. When Shikamaru didn't do anything, he coughed.

"Why do you not say your hellos? I am sure the man on the other side of this line will be glad to speak to you."

Instead of doing so, Shikamaru spat onto the microphone, not thinking at all, and instead acting purely on instinct and reflex. How ever stupid it was.

And by his own reflexes, Nakazo quickly hit Shikamaru across the face, and after a moment, a large, red mark began to show across his left brown and cheek. When Shikamaru still didn't speak, not even a grunt or moan, he man gave an impressed look, and then returned the device to his head.

"Looks like he is not talkative right now. It will be fine. He will speak to you once we return. We should arrive in the morning."

There was more chatter, and the man shook his head slowly, giving a light smile that he hadn't shown for a while.

"No, it must be a surprise. Trust me, when you know who we have… you will tell everyone. It is a surprise for Lord Kazekage."

He then turned off his device, and then turned himself forwards once again.

"Come on, everyone. We are almost there."

And then they continued to run into the night….

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time morning came, Shikamaru had enough strength within his fingers to try to escape. And as he began to see the outer walls of Sunagakure appear in the distance, he knew that he had no time left to spare.

Everyone was still running full speed ahead. The morning sun was coming up, and coupled with the lanterns that they were all holding, there were a lot of large and dark shadows for him to play with now. And if he moved quick enough, none of the village guards would be able to see him.

And the moment that they went down the final sand dune before the flat expanse of land, around two kilometres away from Sunagakure's front gates, Shikamaru let the chakra in his hands burst, breaking his bindings.

The woman who had been pulling him along quickly noticed that there was a disturbance, and then turned her head just in time to see that Shikamaru had positioned himself within a sand dune's shadow, and had placed his hands into a seal, kneeling down, and giving her a slick, satisfied smile.

"_**Checkmate."**_

She turned her head towards Nakazo instantly as the Nara clan leader threw some of his shadows towards her.

"Naka-."

But it was too late for her, as Shikamaru had completely caught her in his shadow.

Nakazo and the other two shinobi had turned their heads around in time to see Shikamaru throw her into them. One of them was caught by the throw and was thrown back along with her onto the sand behind them. Nakazo quickly took out one of the scrolls he held on his back and opened it.

"Let's go, Spi-."

Before he could even open his puppet, Shikamaru had caught him in another shadow, and grinned to commemorate the occasion. The final kunoichi vainly threw a kunai in Shikamaru's direction, only for him to block it with another one of his shadows. He directed Nakazo to turn himself around to face her, and then slowly manoeuvred one of his shadowy tendrils so that it rested on his neck.

The final unaffected kunoichi looked towards Shikamaru and shuddered in fear. The man was standing now, but the ground around him and his shadow behind him emitted a collection of black tendrils that moved in a chaotic melody. His face was dark, and both of his hands were in front of him, flinching with the pattern of his shadows. He rotated his wrists once to get the feeling of them being bound out of his system, and then lifted his head to look forwards at her.

Once he was sure that he had her attention, he motioned his right hand, and Nakazo let out a pained growl as he felt the tendril at his throat tighten. The final kunoichi that hadn't been downed flinched, and Shikamaru spoke up.

"Drop your weapons, then let me bind you," he ordered. "Or else he dies too."

In truth, Shikamaru hated when he had to be strict and firm, but this was one of the times that he had to. If he wasn't like this, then he'd be in Sunagakure by now. And that would've made escaping even harder than it already was going to be.

The moment he made the command, he could feel struggling within his shadows. He looked towards his own "captive" to see that Nakazo was now trying to struggle against his bindings, pulling his arms and rotating his neck. Shikamaru's chakra was low and weak, but he was still able to keep in place. For the most part.

"Do not…. listen to him! Do _**not **_let him get away! We have been waiting for _**years **_for this moment! Do not let it go to wast-."

Before he said anything else, Shikamaru tightened the grip on his body, and then slowly moved a tendril to cover his mouth. As he did so, he slowly noticed that what little chakra he had left was beginning to dry up. He needed the woman in front of him to make her decision fast, before she noticed as well. He looked back towards her, and then narrowed his eyes.

"_**Do it! And quickly! **_Unless you want your superior here to die in front of his own village!"

Nakazo bit onto the tendril in his mouth tightly as he tried to speak to his subordinate once again.

"Do not… let him… get away! I can… die here… a happy man… if you bring him in! Do not… give up!"

Shikamaru grit his teeth, and then slowly increased the intensity on his tendrils. He was running out of time.

"_**Make your decision-."**_

Before either of the three could do anything else, something began to appear in the corner of Shikamaru's eyes. He slowly manoeuvred his head until it became more clear to him. The wind around his ears began to ring out in terror and panic as he identified the commotion in the distance, picking up just near the village's front gates.

It was a large collection of flying sand. Swirling and coming together to form a great, giant sandstorm near the gates of the Hidden Sand Village. An unnatural occurrence, the sand quickly moving towards them, almost as if it was being directed by some human force.

And in that moment, Shikamaru realised exactly what was coming his way. And he knew that there was no way in hell he would be able to withstand it. The fear and surprise came to his face, and he felt his blood run cold. He knew only one shinobi that was capable of manipulating sand the way that it was being manipulated now.

Gaara. The Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village. Veteran of two wars. Youngest son of the previous Kazekage, Rasa.

One of the men who killed his wife.

His face tensed, and then he used the rest of his chakra to lift Nakazo and throw him towards the kunoichi that had been in front of him. Once he did the action, he watched as the kunoichi dodged the attack, while Nakazo found himself head first in a dune of sand. He threw a quick kunai in the direction of the kunoichi, and she, still recovering from his previous attack, took the weapon to her gut, and fell onto the sand in a ricochet. Shikamaru looked up to see that the torrent of sand was still coming towards him, and now it moved faster. He cringed, and then looked around himself to find a way to get away from him. If they fought now, it wouldn't be fair; he hadn't eaten for two days and his chakra was all gone. Not to mention, the very fact that Gaara was coming towards him now, after all he had done, was beginning to tear at Shikamaru's thinking ability.

Finally, he caught sight of one of the many large mountains that surrounded Sunagakure. It was large, and the sand leading towards it, from what he could see from so far away, was rigid and if he was able to run fast enough, it was possible that he might be able to lose him somewhere in it, either in the treacherous sand leading towards it, or while or after scaling the mountain itself. It was a simple and risky plan, but he had to take the risk. There was no way that he could face Gaara the way he was now.

Shikamaru began to run off in the direction of the mountain. He made it three steps.

The minute his third was finished, he felt the sand beneath him harden and latch onto his leg, causing him to fall forwards. He instinctively tried to roll, only for him to feel the sand resist him, then flip him over onto his back, before he was pushed up, and eventually manoeuvred forcibly until he was on his knees. When he was able to see in front of him again, he noticed that he was no longer alone.

There were now five shinobi in his general vicinity. They were lined up on both sides of the opposing sand dunes that he had previous ran though, three to his right, two to his left. They were all wearing clothing to reveal their status as Jonin, and they all were purposely leaving space in the middle, as if they were waiting for another person to appear and walk through it.

Shikamaru knew who it would be.

As he noticed some more shinobi come to take up their fallen comrades, he tried his best to struggle against the sand that bound him. He knew it was futile, but he would be damned if he let himself be taken in _this _easily. Taken as a captive by a man who hated him, by a man who had spent the last ten years trying to kill him. By the man who had ruined his life.

But all of his struggling turned out to be futile. When the moving ball of sand finally appeared, in between the five shinobi line up, and landed on the ground. The sand slowly dissipated away from it's centre, starting from the ground up, and soon it was revealed who the man within it had been.

As he had predicted, it was Gaara. And once Gaara's eyes were visible, and once he had looked upon him and had seen who he was, his eyes slowly went into a dark, hideous state, and the rest of his face followed.

And so did his.

Gaara would have looked decent to someone who had just met him, but in the moment that Shikamaru was in, he looked no better than a demon. His bright red hair had been placed into a slick, short cut, his eyes were narrow and firm, and his face was in a mixed sense of denial, confusion and anger. His long, white Kazekage robes were a little tattered at the bottom, and his stance was a tad bit off as well, instead of standing up straight, he seemed to be leaning back a little, almost like he himself did on regular occasion.

But no matter how familiar he seemed, Shikamaru's anger and hatred wouldn't be held back. It began to slowly rise to the surface then, his face slowly becoming a flush red. And even through Gaara's sand slowly covering his hands and feet, he grasped his fists to try and keep himself composed.

Gaara, on the other hand, continued to simply stare at the man. His gaze continued to show denial and confusion, before it traded those emotions for sadness, pain, and madness. He clenched his jaw as his mind went back to the night he attempted to kill him, the events, the revelations. Here was the man who was responsible for so much of his pain. The majority of his sleepless nights, Shiori's torture and Okuni's loss. The man who had convinced- no, _tricked _his sister into abandoning her village and killing her own brother. No… _helping _to kill.

And here was the man who had snuck into his house in the middle of the night and had killed his wife. Had rendered his son motherless, had caused him pain, humiliation and guilt. Had caused the majority of his own sleepless nights. The man who had caused the war to last this long, the man who had started it in the first place because he wouldn't just… no…

There was no point in thinking it over. They both had their conclusions, they both had their truths.

The man who stood in front of them… deserved nothing but _death._

Finally, Gaara hardened his face and slowly began to walk towards the kneeling man. As he did, Shikamaru noted the length of his strides, the way the sand parted beneath him to make way for him, and the way his cloak reflected the sun off of it. It would have looked mystical, no, _magical_, to any other shinobi.

But to him, it simply made him more queasy.

Finally, he stopped once he was standing over Shikamaru, only a few steps away from his body. In an interesting reversal, he was the taller one, and he could feel a new found confidence from his height. The two of them locked eyes, both giving each other their death glares, their faces speaking a million unsaid words. Before Gaara opened his mouth and made some of those words vocal.

"… _How _did you survive that day…?"

His voice shook, but unlike usual, it shook with anger. Shikamaru let a few moments passed, before his own voice entered the equation.

"… Because of an angel..."

He wasn't exaggerating, nor was he being facetious. On that night, his wife had acted like his guardian, protecting him from her brothers.

Paying for his life with hers.

Gaara resisted the urge to spit onto the ground in front of him.

"...Oh… right. I forgot how you were able to fool _her _into saving your life. Into going against her own family. Into betraying her own village-."

"_You shut your dirty mouth._"

Gaara felt a vein pop within his head.

"...What did you say-."

"Don't you ever, _ever _speak about _her _like that _**ever **_again! You shut yourmouth at her existence. You don't, didn't, and will know a _damn thing _about her."

Shikamaru took a breath, and then continued his glare. Temari was already dead and buried, and the very last thing he would let anyone do is bad mouth her. Gaara's eyes took on a darker look.

"I didn't know anything about her? I spent most of my _**life **_with her, and you're implying-."

"I'm not _**implying **_anything. I'm _**saying **_it. You don't know anything, and you never knew _**anything **_about her. I was married to her for _**ten **_years. You never were as close to her as I was-."

"I only missed those years because you _**tricked **_her into coming with you," Gaara spat. "You brainwashed her and made her think that-."

"_No, she came to me of her own accord-."_

Suddenly, Shikamaru felt his legs become significantly tighter, as the sand that Gaara had applied to it began to become more harsh. He noticed as the sides of Gaara's brows began to tense up more than they already were, and when he spoke again, he sounded more dangerous than he ever had been.

"First you… cause the war… by killing my people-."

"For the last time, it wasn't u-."

Shikamaru's voice was stopped by the increasing pressure in his arms.

"Then you... fool her into coming with you with your lies..."

"It was her own wi- Aggh!"

"Then you… kill so many of my people… through orders… though that damn… that damn order..."

Gaara's voice trailed off, and he momentarily pushed his forehead into his hands. Shikamaru simply relaxed his face, and then looked away from Gaara for a while. Behind the Kazekage, he could see that the other shinobi in attendance were beginning to look ashamed as well, and moments passed before the conversation continued.

"… And then… you cause her to… you..." Gaara slowly removed his hand from his head, and placed it back at his side. Behind his feet, Shikamaru could see that some sand was beginning to swirl in the air.

"...Go against her own family… and kill her own _brother…"_

Behind him, the other sand shinobi in attendance gave a confused look, before Gaara's voice returned again, and Shikamaru's eyes was redirected.

"….And now… you lay in front of me… and tell me more lies… to my _face, _and test _more _of my patience. After all you've done. After all the deaths and pain you've caused. After all of the families you ruined and wrought..."

He gripped his fists, and Shikamaru could see that his own pale face was turning a shade of red, just like his.

"After everyone you've torn… I shouldn't let you breath any longer. I should destroy you where you kneel..."

After Gaara's voice faded once again, the captured shinobi general began to feel the pain in his legs and arms increase to near unbearable levels. He took a deep breath of air in through his nose, and shut his eyes, trying to keep himself from screaming out in pain again. Trying to keep himself looking strong. Looking calm.

Even if this was the end.

To make himself more comfortable, he thought back to the days that had passed. Back to his friends; the days spent in Yakiniku Q with his team, the days he'd open his house up and host a party. The days he'd meet up with Choji and just walk around, wasting time and eating chips, like they had when they were little. He thought back to his son; the days the two would pull out the shogi table and he'd beat him flawlessly, the days he'd complain, but still sit next to his old man and watch TV. The days he'd get off early enough to pick him up from school, and then the two would waste time at a comic or candy store, before it got late and they'd return home to…

Temari. But he couldn't allow himself to think back that far. After all…

"...I ..."

Asuma, Shikaku, Yoshino…

"Should..."

Her.

"...You deserve nothing more, nothing less…."

He'd see them all very soon….

"… _But… you're more useful to me alive..."_

…..._Damn_…_._

Shikamaru opened his eyes again, and the pressure on his legs and arms ceased. Gaara's face had taken on a more neutral and calm look, and the sand that had been swirling behind him was settled again. He took a breath, and then narrowed his eyes at him once again.

"...What?"

"You heard me. If I killed you now… it would be easy for you, wouldn't it? You'd go see your father and your master again, and you'd get away with everything you've done in the last ten years."

He took a pause.

"...Not to mention the chestful of _secrets _that would come with you to your grave..."

Shikamaru's eyes widened.

_...No…_

"...Which is why we're going to bring you in. Which is why we will interrogate you, and make you say everything that you have within your mind. You'll give up all of your secrets, you'll tell us everything we need to know about Konohagakure's shinobi and their manoeuvres..."

He then leaned in closer to him, so that he was breathing on Shikamaru's face.

"And if you answer all of our questions quickly and orderly, I'll allow you to return to _her _in one piece."

Shikamaru felt something tick off at the back of his head, and then slowly reminded himself of what Gaara knew. Gaara didn't know that she was… gone. Gaara's perception of that day was skewed.

...Gaara was a fool.

"...You… you still think that she's alive…."

Gaara's calm face took on a more worried look momentarily, as he focused himself back on his unwanted brother-in-law.

"...What?"

"...Gaara… what do you think happened on that day…?"

Shikamaru began to feel heat rise to his brain, and his eyes slowly began to take a red tint as emotions rose as well. He let a few moments passed, taking slow, but long breathes, before he let himself speak the truth into existence, a truth he hated to remember.

"...She attacked… Kankuro… and then he bled out in an alley way…." Gaara sputtered. The shinobi behind began to look more intently on their conversation, and began to notice their Kazekage's increasingly frantic look. "...You made me… you two made me leave him to die in an alley. But we left her… she was fine..."

"...She wasn't-."

"She was still alive. We didn't attack her vigorously, only to defend ourselves-."

"For _**fuck's **_sake, Gaara! You're the Kazekage! You and him ganged up on her! She was alone, and out of practice for more than a _**decade. **_What did you think was going to happen-."

Shikamaru looked down to prevent himself from throwing up a sob, and then finished what he had to say, his voice heavy and hurting.

"...You…_ you killed her… Gaara._"

The shinobi behind Gaara looked appalled, and Gaara himself found his worried glance towards his brother-in-law turning into a look of denial. His mouth opened slightly, agape from shock, and his head shook slowly, his eyes closing, avoiding Shikamaru's. Avoiding those judging eyes, avoiding the eyes that blamed.

"...No… I didn't..."

"...Yes… you… _**did."**_

Shikamaru could hear the anger in his own voice, but he didn't care in the slightest. This was the only chance he'd have. The only chance he'd have to give to Gaara everything he had _**taken **_from him.

"...You… killed… her-."

"I didn't. I… I did not… I didn't..."

"You… did. She…"

Shikamaru gulped his emotion, but it wasn't enough. On his face he could feel tears come to his eyes. Tears of anger, tears of aggression. Tears of loneliness.

"...You crushed her ribcage. Her… already depleted…. chakra worked non-stop to keep the bones from breaking into her organs until she ran out of it..."

There was a silence.

"...I barely… got to say goodbye..."

Shikamaru's voice had finally cracked, but he didn't care. Not right now. His emotions were running to high.

While Gaara's continued to deny his.

"...No..."

"_Yes..."_

"...You're..."

Gaara weakly raised a hand to point towards Shikamaru, almost as if he was scolding him.

"….You're lying-."

"_**DOES IT LOOK LIKE I**__**'**__**M LYING, GAARA!? DOES IT?! DOES IT LOOK LIKE **__**I'M **__**FUCKING**__** LYING?!"**_

The sudden ferocity of Shikamaru's voice wasn't something that Gaara had been expecting. He took a step back, not just from the look of a husband who had recently lost everything, but from the words that he was speaking out of his mouth. It was true, Shikamaru didn't look like he was lying at all. The tears from his eyes were staining his cheeks now, his eyes were red, and his hair was frayed in a frenzied way. His eyes were somehow more hellish than they had been before, and he seemed to be itching to break out of his bindings, and give Gaara what he was feeling. Even if the cost was his own life.

All Gaara could do was shake his head. All he could do was deny what he knew had to be true. All he could do was try to rationalize it, try to make it matter.

But on the inside, it began to eat at his mind. It began to eat at his soul. If… no… _since _she was dead…

He was the only child of Rasa left. He didn't' have any siblings anymore. They had both died on the same night. Under the same sky.

By the same order. If what Shikamaru said was true, then it had been his fault. No… it couldn't be.

"...You're lying… You're lying..." Gaara muttered over and over again. He could feel his own eyes begin to heat up, and he suddenly began to feel weak.

"You're lying… you have to be ly-."

"I'm telling the truth… the honest truth… the only truth-."

"No… you're lying… you're lying you have to be..."

"You _**killed her… **_Gaara. You _**killed your own fucking sister."**_

Behind him, the shinobi that had came with Gaara began to hover around in shock, beginning to absorb the same information that Shikamaru was pouring out. All the while their Kage denied it to his very being.

"… I didn't do any of that… I didn't do it-."

"Yes you did. You killed her-."

"No I didn't… look… look at you! Look at all of the people you've killed! All of the lives you've ruined! Look at everything you've destroyed-."

"_**At the very least I didn't kill my own sister-."**_

Before he could say anything more, Gaara raised some sand from the ground below him and sent it towards Shikamaru's neck, covering it quickly. Gaara brought his hands back to the sides of his body, and then took a breath.

"Just… shut up."

Not even the threat of death would deter him now.

"Shut up? Now you're trying to censor me fo-."

"Just _**shut up."**_

Shikamaru gave out a harsh chuckle, before his eyes rested on Gaara's face again, his face giving off a dark acceptance.

"Or what… you'll _kill _me? Do it, Gaara. I'm already **dead."**

"Shut up."

"So you can't come to grips with reality-."

"Shut up."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll… I'll… I'll!"

"You'll do _**what, exactly? **_Kill me? I'm already dead. Tell everyone what I've done? They already know. Take my secrets?! Not while I still live!"

"Just shut up!"

"Face it, Gaara. No matter what I do, nor what I've done… I'm not nearly as much of a monster as you are. You can drag my name through the mud. You can chop me up into a million pieces , or lock me up and throw away the key. I don't care. It doesn't matter. Because at the end of the day I'm not the one who killed _**my own sister."**_

Gaara flinched, and was trying desperately now to keep himself calm and clear. By now, the shinobi behind him were speaking amongst themselves about the revelation, all while Shikamaru looked up at Gaara with hateful eyes. He had to find some way to stop it. He could feel them judging him from where he stood in front of them, and he couldn't allow it. This couldn't get out.

The people of the hidden sand village couldn't know that their leader was this monstrous, even on accident.

"...Shut up..." he whispered. "Shut him up."

"What's the matter, Gaara!?"

"Shut him up."

"Am I not as bad as you thought I was?!"

"Someone shut him the _**fuck **_up!"

"You _**MURDERED **_Temari! She's dead and it's all because of you!"

"That was an order!"

And with that, Shikamaru felt a sudden, hard hit to the back of his head. And within an instant, he was out once again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_AN: Hey! How'd you like it? Remember to R&amp;R if you can!_

_ I'm not going to spoil what's going to happen in the next chapter, but the only thing I can tell you is that this part of the fanfiction is going to be really, really __deep. Also, next chapter we're going to go back to Kankuro __for a bit__, so if you're a fan of him he's coming back. I just had to write this plot more. __And don't worry, the struggle between Gaara and Shikamaru will continue._

_ Also I apologise for the lack of fighting scenes, but there will be more. Also, I'm going to write a subplot with Shikadai as well, since he is important to the plot. You'll see._

_ Also, in the following chapters I think I'm going to try and do more ShikaTema flashbacks? Like full ones? So that I don't get flamed for labelling this a ShikaTema fic- well. Technically it still is. It's just some morbid version, lol._

_ Alright, I'll see you guys next Saturday/Sunday! Ciao._


	31. Shame

_AN: Look forwards to another nerve wracking chapter. I hope you all like it._

_I apologize for the length, but this week I didn't get a lot of time to work on this fanfiction. I'm going to publish the next chapter by next Monday, and it's going to be the regular length. For now, I hope you enjoy this at least. The next chapter will most likely be focused on Konohagakure, the remainder of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Kankuro and Shikadai. With another cameo from Kakashi, since I know you all love him._

_Anyways, I hope you like this. It's a bit shorter than the rest of my latest chapters, but it has a good moment between... well you'll see._

Once again, _**I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Shikadai Nara looked up at his father, and then gave out a small pout. When he was sure he had his attention, he let out a distressed squeal, and then babbled until he formed words._

"_Dada!"_

_Shikamaru slowly leaned himself over so that he was looking over and into the boy's crib. Once he was close enough for the small form to reach out and try to touch his beard, he let out his own pout._

"_What? The entire day you pretend like you don't like me, but now that I'm leaving, you do?"_

_Shikadai moved his eyes away from his father, almost as if he understood the words that were coming out of his mouth, and then brought his hands to his own elbows, his face turning redder than it usually was._

"_Twub- Troublesome."_

_Shikamaru let out a small, satisfied chuckle. While annoyed at first, over the months with the boy, he had began to become almost amused by his little actions. His pride, his stubbornness._

_He was truly a little image of his own mother, sometimes._

_Slowly, he reached out a large, scarred and rough hand, and brought it to his son's hair. Even though it was placed into a small, miniature adaption of his own ponytail, he still brought his hands through it, giving the baby a calm and soothing rub. The boy beneath his fingers opened his mouth to yawn a little, before his pout eventually eased up and went into a smile. Once he saw it on Shikadai's face, Shikamaru gave off his own._

"_It's ok, kiddo," he said, adding his other hand to rub his son's back in the same soft manner. "Your old man's just going to the front for a few weeks. Besides, you have your Mom here. She'll take care of you..."_

_When he finished speaking, he looked over his shoulder to see Temari standing by the doorway. There was a small smirk on her face, yet even from the distance away he could tell that there was concern and worry in her eyes. _

_The emotions where always present on her face when it was time for him to leave._

_He took a breath, and then looked back towards his son, who was now trying to reach for the pointy beard that had just re-entered his reach. Shikamaru smiled, and then leaned into his crib to give him a small, soft hug, before leaning out again._

"_Yeah, you'll be fine. But hey, while you're here, make sure you don't bug her too much."_

_He leaned in closer, and Shikadai blinked._

"_Don't be __**troublesome**__."_

_The babbling baby's eyes widened._

"_Troublesome?"_

"_Trouble-."_

"_Hey, cut it out you two," Temari growled. "Bad enough that was his first word. The last thing I need is for it to be his __**only **__word."_

_With that, Shikamaru found himself stopping and nodding in agreement with her. Despite his parentage, Shikadai seemed to be developing slowly for a one year old. He only knew a few words, he couldn't walk at all, and he seemed to be having issues focusing at times. While Temari was likely fearing for the worst, Shikamaru simply hypothesized that their son was just going to take his time through life. Still, it was best that he didn't aggravate whatever he was going through. _

_With that, he rubbed Shikadai's head for a few moments longer, before giving him another quick "See you" and turning around to head towards the door. The moment he was close enough to his wife, he slid her into his arms, and soon after their lips collided in a silent harmony. For a few seconds longer, they let themselves get lost in their inner emotions, as Temari tried to keep herself calm, as Shikamaru tried to battle any negative feelings she had. The both of them knew what it was and what it could be. He was leaving for war, he would either come back alive, or he would come back dead. It was a common occurrence in their household now, but it's repetition didn't make it any better. And something on the inside of both of them implied that it would never be any better than this._

_Slowly, Shikamaru moved the hands that were on her back higher, and slowly began to make massage-like movements there. After she realized what he was doing, she slowly removed her lips from his and placed her forehead to his, staring into his deep brown eyes. He could almost feel her soul bore into him, and she didn't need to speak to make her desires known. She wanted him to stay._

_But he couldn't._

_He pressed her close to him one last time, before he slowly let go of her. He knew that if he didn't leave now, he'd never be able to leave his family again. But before he could turn himself away from her again, there was one last thing he needed to say._

"_... Be safe here, ok? Make sure you and the boy are alright while I'm gone... ok?"_

_Temari nodded slowly, and then let herself make her own request._

"_As long as you stay safe too. Watch your six out there."_

"_I will."_

_There was a soft sigh that came from Temari's lips._

"_...You better..."_

_Shikamaru lowered his eyes in shame for a moment, before he leaned into her, giving her a final and quick peck on her cheek. Temari blushed instantly, but before she could do anything else, he had turned himself around, and he was heading out the door._

_One of his legs left the room before he heard something that made him pause._

"_Dada!"_

_He looked over his shoulder to see that Shikadai was now standing in his crib, and was leaning on one of it's sides to support himself. In his little green onside, he noticed that he had his father's attention, and then slowly, as to make sure he didn't fall over, he removed his hands from the bars and began to wave them up and down to retain his father's attention. With a small sigh, Shikamaru turned himself back around to continue to leave. If he didn't leave now, he'd be stuck here. He needed to go._

_Before he could make another movement, however, Shikadai made more babbling noises from his crib. Eventually..._

"_Dada! Say... Stay safe!"_

_They formed words._

_In awe and surprised, Shikamaru turned himself around to join Temari in her new found interest in the boy's crib. Temari herself was blushing redder than she was before, impressed by how quickly the child picked up her words. Shikamaru on the other hand felt his demeanour melt as his eyes met the baby's teal ones. Slowly, the boy stopped waving his hands, and then balanced himself on his crib's bars again. He stayed quiet for a moment, before he said more._

"_Dada...Watch yo' six! Stay safe!"_

_Both his mother and father let out a small laugh at their son's new words, before they both strode over to his crib. Seeing his parents approach, he fell back onto the cushion beneath him, before he felt his mother lift him into her arms. She turned herself so that she could lean against the crib he had been in, and then began to snuggle him._

"_Good. Good. Just keep learning __**my **__words, Shikadai. Soon you'll be able to talk to lots of people! All you need to do is learn how not to say that one word-."_

"_Mama troublesome. Dada stay."_

_Shikamaru let out a loud, sudden chuckle, as he reached out a hand to pat his son's head._

"_Now you're getting it." After he noticed his wife's glare, he quickly added the rest of his thoughts._

"_Just remember that your Mother's still your Mother, so you need to respect her too. She's not __**that **__troublesome, after all."_

_He removed himself from the area, and then turned himself to leave, heaving towards the door. When he reached the frame of it, he let himself look back on his family one last time. Seeing his father leave, he noticed Shikadai begin to squirm in his mother's arms, all while babbling in his own childish language. Temari made a few adjustments to the way she held him, calming him down, but her eyes still seemed to be glossed over with sadness. The two of them were sad to see him leave. _

_And even though it ached his own heart to see them like this, he had to leave. He knew that he had to leave._

_But before he left, for good this time, he let himself speak a final string of reassuring words._

"_Don't worry. I'll be back."_

_Nevertheless, when he left the room, both Shikadai and Temari began to feel a cold air wash over the both of them. Shikamaru was gone, and it'd be a long time until he'd be able to return. He did it for the good of their home, the good of their village, and the good of the King..._

_But they wished for him to stay for their __**own **__good._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Shikamaru opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was sand.

He reached out his hands to his sides and felt around on the ground beneath him to feel that there was sand there as well. At the same time, when he moved he felt the element on his bare back as well.

And once he realized that he wasn't wearing anything on his chest, he instinctively sent his right arm to his left shoulder, to feel for his and Temari's headbands. And upon realizing that they were missing, he instantly sat himself up.

_...Fuck._

He looked around to see that he had been placed into a cell. It was a small and dark one at that, and he could scarcely see anything that was around him. The area was long, the only door to it a great ways in front of him, but it was so compressed that if anyone else were the enter the area and sit beside him, then he would be crushed. As he slowly scrambled himself to his feet, he noticed that he had a chain on his leg, and that it was attached to him so tightly that he could barely get into a squat, let alone stand. Looking up nonetheless, he noticed that the ceiling wasn't that high anyways, and that the only way he'd be able to move while in his cell would be him crawling. Seeing a small beam of light from above him, he turned his head around to see that above the wall that he was leaning against, there was a small, glass window, not blocked by anything on the inside, but looking as if it was behind bars on the outside. He looked forwards again, and noticed that if he crawled closer to the door, the ceiling would rise until he could stand. The cell had two doors, the closest to him being made out of glass, and allowing him to see the area in front of him, and the other being behind the glass door on the outside, being a typical iron barred door. The only thing he could see of the area outside his cell, due to the bad lighting, was a small room with a series of stairs slightly to the right of his vision.

Once he had taken in all of the information he could attain, he leaned back against the wall, and took a deep breath. It was official now. He hadn't been hallucinating the day before. He had been taken captive.

And the moment he came to terms with his reality, his eyes began to scan the cell around him for an avenue of escape.

He turned his body around to look up and out the window slightly above him. He then tried to move himself to his feet the best he could with his bindings, to try and look out the window to view anything other than the red sky above, but found that he physically couldn't view it. To test himself, he sat himself down again, and then began to crawl towards the doors of his cell, before the chain around his ankle stopped him, about halfway through his cell. Once he knew how far he could move, he then reached a hand up to reach his ceiling, and knocked against it. It was hard and solid, just like the sand of the desert. He took a breath, and then moved himself back to his end of the cell.

From what he could see now, there was no avenue for him to escape. While he was still horrified by his circumstances, he would at least admit that the Sand knew how to make a proper cage for him. But he wouldn't let their skill stop him from escaping.

In the meanwhile, he took a breath, and then looked down at what he had been put into. His entire uniform was gone at this point, and instead he had been stripped down to a pair of unfamiliar pants, not even left with socks to cover his feet. His lightly scarred torso was open for all to see, and the place on his arm where he had wrapped his and Temari's headbands felt bare. Finally, he could feel his hair on his forehead and touching his shoulders, meaning that they had taken away his hair clip as well.

At least some of this was to humiliate him further, he assumed. To make themselves feel stronger. To rub it in to him. To show off that they finally had him, after ten years.

They'd finally caught the Butcher.

Alas, he wasn't even given enough time to reflect. Because shortly after he had reached his side of the cell again, he heard the clanging of metal coming from in front of him. He looked forwards, towards the light that was coming from the door of his cell, to see that there was someone crouching down in front of it, holding out something closer to his door. Cautiously, Shikamaru once again crawled forwards to his door, until the picture in front of him began to focus.

The man who was crouching there was Gaara, the Kazekage. In front of him on the ground was a tray, on it being a small candle, two clay cups and a small teapot. But in his left hand, the one that he had lifted up to show Shikamaru...

Were his two missing headbands. His and Temari's. The clanging sound was them crashing together every now and then.

Shikamaru's eyes met Gaara's, and the moment it did they locked gazes. Shikamaru slowly moved himself so that he was sitting up cross legged, placing his face into a bored look as per usual, while Gaara continued to look at him, having a disgusted and almost embarrassed look on his face.

The visibility in the area that the two were in was still bad, but they could still make out each other's faces at the least. At the moment, it was the only thing that they needed to see. Shikamaru's face slowly shifting into a scowl, and Gaara's following.

And finally the Kazekage spoke, even though Shikamaru already had an idea of what he was going to say.

"Why do you have Temari's headband?"

He knew the answer already, Shikamaru could tell. His voice revealed that he was tired, but it's tone gave off a small, yet potent warning. Nonetheless, the Shadow master still answered him nonchalantly.

"...When she married me, we shared our possessions. And when she died... her things became mine-."

"Why were you wearing it?"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"Because I wanted to, that's why."

"Shinobi are not permitted to wear the headband of another shinobi." Gaara's voice was now emotionless, but Shikamaru could still hear some edge to it.

"Especially if they are from another village-."

"Don't lecture me on what I can and can't do with my wife's things," Shikamaru spat. "After all _you've _done to her, you don't _**get **_to talk."

Gaara opened his mouth to give a retort, but his words quickly died in his throat as reality hit him again. His face slowly left the offensive tone it had of before, and Shikamaru watched as the man's eyes softened for a brief moment before it turned back to normal.

"...D-...do not dare blame that on me-."

"It's the truth-."

"How could I ever have known-."

"Maybe if you had spent more time _thinking _instead of acting-."

"She never should have been there in the first pla-."

"But she was. And because of that you killed her-."

"_**JUST SHUT UP!"**_

Shikamaru flinched from his position, and nearly fell back onto the floor before he regained his composure. Gaara's quiet and calm demeanour was temporarily replaced with something akin to a... demon... and it's sudden outbreak wasn't something that Shikamaru had been prepared for. Throughout the war, he had never witnessed Gaara in such a position. Not even when Naruto was present, not even when he learned of the results of bloody battles. If he was cracking now, then it was because of...

Before Shikamaru could finish his thought process, he heard shuffling in front of him, and looked up to see that Gaara had placed his headbands on the floor, and was now pouring tea into the two cups he had brought with him. Shikamaru watched him, and noticed that whatever anger that had came to his face was gone as quickly as it had surfaced. When he had finished filling both cups to it's capacity, he placed the teapot back down onto his tray, then opened the glass door to slide one of the cups towards Shikamaru. Shikamaru held a hand out to stop it, and then lifted the drink up.

"I... apologize."

Shikamaru lifted his head up to see that Gaara was now sitting cross-legged as he was, and his face was calmer. He raised one of his brows as the man continued.

"I did not come down here to fight. I came to... talk."

Shikamaru slowly brought his eyes back to the cup he held, and narrowed his eyes. He raised a hand to stick his pinky into the substance, before he heard something else come from Gaara's mouth

"It is not poisoned. Drink and be calm."

Shikamaru took a breath in, before he lifted the cup to his lips, and took a bit of it down. He didn't let it enter his throat until he made sure that he couldn't taste any poison, nor smell it. When he finished taking it down, he was greeted with a refreshing taste, and let out a pleasant sigh. He placed the cup back to the ground, and then looked up to speak to Gaara.

"...What do you want?" He asked. His voice was kinder than before, but still had a sharpness to it. Gaara took a sip out of his own cup, before his voice returned.

"What do you think I want, Nara?" He asked. "You know what I want."

"I do. You want something that you _can't have."_

"Perhaps." Gaara let a silence come between them, and the two simply sized each other up in the meanwhile. Or rather, did what they could to do so. With Gaara trying to keep an aloof, professional demeanour now, and with Shikamaru in chains. Finally, Gaara's voice returned, and Shikamaru listened closely.

"... You know... ever since the war began... I have wanted you in the very position that you are in now," he gloated. "I knew that if I wanted to have any chance of defeating your village, you had to be either here, or you had to be dead. I knew this... Kankuro... he knew this as well... and so did anyone with a passing knowledge of the power players in this conflict."

Gaara took a sip from his cup.

"And as the years went on, and as more and more people died... we admittedly began to become very anxious for your eventual downfall. As you did... and ordered... more and more... "rigorous"... attacks against us, our anxiety grew to an uncomfortable level. And as you kept evading all of our attempts to take you in, we became more... and more... angered by you."

There was a pause.

"...And the people of Sunagakure became this way as well-."

"Is there a point?" Shikamaru interrupted. "I know all of this-."

"Then you _are _aware of what will happen to you when you fall into the hands of Sunagakure's interrogation core, right? You do know the regular procedure that Sunagakure uses to interrogate it's prisoners, yes?"

Shikamaru nodded, and simply allowed Gaara to continue his words.

"Well, because of who you are, the process will be worse. Much, much worse. You're the man that everyone who lives in this village has been trying to get even with since almost the beginning, and a lot of our shinobi have lost family and friends because of your actions. When they finally get their hands on you..."

Gaara's voice trailed off, and knowing that he'd already given Shikamaru enough to think about, he let himself sip more of his tea. Shikamaru on the other hand straightened his back, and then began to think of the ramifications of his own actions. It was true, at least from his predictions and experiences. He had met many men and women from his village who had been tortured by Sunagakure's main inquisitors, and none of them were the same way they were before. A few of them had to be honourably discharged, because their experiences with the core had caused them vivid psychological issues. Very few of the discharged shinobi survived the year. Memories of their physical and mental scars flashed through his mind.

And with Shikamaru being who he was, it would only be _worse_ for him.

While on the inside he began to think of a million and one ways to try and escape his current captors, on the outside he wouldn't even let himself sweat. He knew why Gaara had reminded him of this information, and there was no doubt that he'd be expecting him to be scared. While he was, he couldn't let that stop him from thinking and from keeping a calm demeanour.

At the very least he wouldn't appear weak to the man who killed his wife.

After a few moments of letting his words fester, Shikamaru heard the Kazekage's words again.

"..._It wont be good," _he finished. "And because of this... I have brought you a proposal... along with the tea..."

The Nara Clan head blinked, but otherwise kept his face stony and strong. The man sitting outside his cage continued eventually.

"...Tell me all that I need to know. Right here, right now. And as a reward, I will free you myself, and let you go home."

Despite the uneasiness he was feeling, the shadow user didn't need any time to think of a response.

"_**No."**_

"If you would only think about it-."

"It's not going to happen."

"Just-."

"When you free me, how do I know that you wont just send people to kill me in between The Leaf Village and here?"

"Because that would be dirty."

"We're _ninja."_

"I am the _**Kazekage."**_

Shikamaru blew out air through his mouth in disbelief, and then slowly crossed his arms in front of him. Gaara's face took on a slightly sorrowful turn, and Shikamaru could slowly see that the man seemed genuine about his offer. But it didn't matter to him. He couldn't give up the secrets and information that he had learned over the years. He had to protect his village.

He had to protect the king.

Eventually, Gaara spoke again.

"...Consider it. This is... the final chance that I will give to you, Shikamaru. Give me them now, and I will let you walk out of here alive and well, despite everything that you have done to my village, despite everything you have done to my village." There was another intermission.

"Take it. If you do not... I cannot guarantee that you will survive this."

This hadn't been the first time Shikamaru had been threatened with death. This wasn't even the 100th .

"...You can take that deal and go to hell with it," Shikamaru growled. "I'm not going to take it."

"The core-."

"I don't care about the core," the captive interrupted. "Who do you think I am? I'd never betray my village just to keep my own life."

"Are you even _listening _to me, Shikamaru? Listen to what I'm saying and thi-."

"_Why should I listen to the man who killed my wife-."_

"_**Because that man's offering you a chance to see your SON again!"**_

And at the final word, Shikamaru fell into a sickly silence. His stony facade finally broke into a stunned and surprised look, and he began to slouch in his position. He was completely confused, utterly surprised, and scared at the same time.

How did Gaara know about Shikadai? Throughout the war, he had _killed _any Sand shinobi who even had an _idea _that Temari was with him, and had done _worse _to the ones who had found out anything about the existence of their son. And how did Gaara not know about Temari's demise, but knew about the fact that they had a child together? For how long did he know this? And to make matters worse, now that Shikamaru was in his custody...

Shikadai was defenceless. If Gaara wanted to do something to him-.

_No... he's his nephew. He wouldn't do something like that to his own damn nephew. _

Shikamaru took a deep breath, yet the fear on his face wouldn't fade away.

"...How did you know...?"

There was no point in denying the fact now. He had already reacted so guiltily to the mention, and Gaara wasn't an idiot. He finished his cup of tea, before looking back at the man behind the bars.

"...Before we fought on that day... Temari, Kankuro and I exchanged stories of our lives since we had last seen one another. The topic of our new families came up, and Temari mentioned that you two had a seven year old boy who looked just like you. She didn't mention anything else about him."

Shikamaru nearly felt sweat break out on his brow. He couldn't blame his late wife for giving up the info, of course, Gaara was her brother. He would never _harm _his nephew.

At least, that was what he kept on telling himself inside his mind, to free himself from the fact that he was locked up, and if anyone were to try and hurt his boy, there would be nothing in between him and them.

"...If the child's under ten, then I am of the mind that he needs a caretaker in his life. And with his mother... gone now... you are his last surviving parent. The very last thing I need is for my nephew to grow up without any of his parents..."

Gaara fell silent, and Shikamaru looked up at him to see that his eyes and voice were nothing if not genuine and honest. He knew that the man had personal experiences with being abandoned by his own father, and it was admirable that even now he was trying to prevent that from happening again.

"...Accept my offer. Tell me all that you have. And then I will release you before nightfall, and you can make it back to your home before anyone would have known that you were gone."

"...**No."**

Gaara's eyes widened, and Shikamaru could recognize the look on his face right away.

It was the look of utter disgust.

"...What did you say-."

"No."

Even as he repeated the word, Shikamaru felt as if he had stabbed himself in the back. For the last ten years, he had juggled loving and nurturing his family with murder, intrigue and war. And despite all of his efforts, ten years later, his wife was dead, and his son was soon to be an orphan.

"...Think about it-."

"I have. The answer's still no."

Shikamaru was shaking softly now, but he didn't care. Part of him wanted to slap him in the face and make him change his answer, but he wouldn't let that part of him take over, not now and not ever. He was doing everything that he had never wanted to happen, he was doing everything that he had hated in his own father. He was placing the mission above his son's happiness. He was placing the village above his own family.

"..You would just leave your son there? To grow up alone? Without a mother, _**and **_lacking a father as well?"

Shikamaru gulped.

"...Yes..."

He slowed his eyes slowly, and then placed his hands in his signature seal. He tried to calm himself as he sold his most precious possession down the river of life, likely never to be seen again. He tried to keep himself from bursting out in emotion as he immediately joined the long line of fathers who had abandoned their families and children. Asuma, his father. Now he joined the ranks as well. He was despicable.

But at the very least, he found comfort in knowing that his son was not truly alone.

He had his friends. He had his own friends, Ino and Choji would never let the boy starve or grow lonely. He had Mirai and Kurenai, and the three got along fabulously. He had his other friends from his school, he had his teacher. He had his village. He had his clan. He had his Hokage.

Even if he never saw his son again, he tried to find peace in the knowledge that at the very least he'd be looked after...

"You are making a mistake..."

At the very least, his sacrifice here would ensure that he had a village to grow up in.

"...I'm not. I know what I'm doing."

And friends to play with. And people to look up to.

"...I can't believe Temari went and married a man who wouldn't stand up for his own-."

"You shut your mouth!"

Now it was Gaara's turn to look at Shikamaru with surprise in his eyes. The man had previously looked so confused and broken, but now was slowly gaining strength, and he could see it in his straightened stance, and his position, sitting up so tall that his head nearly bumped the wall above him. His eyes had quickly become glossed over in anger, and when he spoke he nearly spat onto the floor in front of him.

"_I am standing up for my own son. _I _**am**_ protecting him! In the best way that I can now. By keeping my mouth shut. So that his home can be safe. So that he can grow up with his friends, so that he can grow up _**safe**_! If I gave up their secrets now, then I'd be putting my entire village in danger! And I wont allow thousands to be killed just so I can have the _Chance _of seeing my son again!"

Shikamaru took another deep breath, and Gaara continued to watch him. His face was slowly turning into one of offence, before it stopped the look, and he began to look like one who was disappointed.

"... And Temari wou-."

"She wouldn't let me betray my village just for a chance to see my family again," he finished quickly. "She knew... she knew damn well how important it was that Konohagakure stood tall and strong against you. She knew that we had to win this war, to prevent you from taking a misunderstanding... too far..."

His voice slowly faded out, before he returned to finish, sounding weak and as upset as his mind was.

"...She knew that we had to defeat you before you ruined _**everything**_ we fought for in our youth. She knew it was more important than the luxury of being able to see each other, she knew it was more important than our lives. We had to protect the _**Kings **_that he had made, the _**Kings **_that would grow up to protect the ones next in line. And because of that... no. I will _**not **_give up my village's secrets, even on the consequence that I'll never see my child again... I lost my Dad too... and so did Mirai and plenty of... others. And we... they all turned out _fine _without them..."

Shikamaru's voice finally faded away, and he was left with a horror-stricken look on his face, simply starting forwards, at nothing in particular. The gravity of his decision was still making him feel the worst he had ever felt, and his mind slowly began to crawl over with regret. He couldn't go back now, and there was nothing left that he could do now. Except endure the pain that was to come, and keep his mouth closed.

Gaara's disgust slowly faded to acceptance, as he closed his eyes and nodded slowly. Wordlessly, Shikamaru slid his teacup back towards him, and Gaara collected the clay drinking vessels, placing them all on the same tray. The captive's eyes finally found focus once he heard the clinking of his headbands, the jailer lifting them onto his tray. He slowly stood himself up, and the two quickly found that there was nothing else to say. Nara had made his decision.

But even as there was nothing else to speak of, Gaara would still make one point clear.

"... We are going to... _**end **_you, Shikamaru. In one way or another."

Shikamaru gulped and nodded.

"...I understand. It's troublesome but... I'll do it."

"...And I... was not the one who... is not the one who is ruining our youth-."

"How long are you going to be in denial, Gaara?"

The man's eyes travelled to Shikamaru's, to see that his face was now free of his past emotion. Instead, his brows were wide and his eyes were curved into a particular way that suggested... _concern... _for him. With a heavy, yet sure sigh, he was given his answer.

"...I am not in denial. _You _are... butcher."

And once Gaara was out of his sight, having travelled up the stairs and into a room that wasn't the same, Shikamaru began to shed silent, yet sure tears from his eyes.

_...I'm sorry, Shikadai. Your old man's taking a detour... but he doesn't know where it's going. Or if it even leads back to you. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_AN: Thank you all for reading, and please remember to R&amp;R if you get the chance too! Next chapter will be out on either next Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday._


	32. Intermission and Premiere

_AN: Welcome to another instalment of me slowly extracting all of your feelings and tears! I hope you're enjoying it so far :P._

_Anyway, this time around I'm going to focus on the happenings in Konohagakure, especially with Naruto, Shikadai, Kankuro, Ino, and Kakashi. I'm thinking it's going to be a bit long, but we'll see. _

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The moment that Choji and Ino arrived at his office without Shikamaru in tow, Naruto began to feel uneasy.

It had been a great morning before the hints of something being wrong showed up. He had walked Himawari and Boruto to school and had taken Hinata out for breakfast. He had looked over all of the battle plans and strategies that Shikamaru had shown him before he had left, and even had enough time to give Konohamaru a small sparring session. A report from Sasuke told him that the village's law enforcement was in order, and a report from Sakura told him that everything was fine in the hospital as well. The only thing he needed more from this day was for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to return with their target in tow, and then he could spend the rest of the day relaxing, and preparing for the one that would come after.

Instead, it seemed like he was about to spend he rest of his day in a state of duress. Because Shikamaru always came in person to check in after missions. Something immediately about the scene in front of him wasn't right.

Choji and Ino walked over to his desk and beside him he could almost feel Sasuke's heart beat change. If he wasn't out on a mission, it was usually either Sasuke or Shikamaru with him for mission check in, and today Sasuke and him seemed to be on the same wavelength. Something was very, very off about the way that the two in front of them approached them.

But nevertheless, the both of them kept their cool. Naruto, in his Kage robes, leaned back into his seat, and casually took off his hat to place it on the table in front of him. Sasuke, on the other hand, kept standing beside him, strong and still like a statue, despite the change in attitude that Naruto could feel in him. When Choji and Ino were standing directly in front of the desk in front of them, the two then began to notice another thing about them.

Both of their faces were grim, and for a moment, the four of them simply stood there, in the Hokage's office. Before his mind began to think of possibilities to Shikamaru's whereabouts, he quickly made relevant small talk.

"So I take it you guys finished your mission, then?" He said, slowly placing his hands behind his head. "How was it? I'm thinking it was a success, right?"

Choji clenched his teeth, and Ino looked away from Naruto for a moment, and to the floor. The Jinchuriki raised an eyebrow at this, and on the inside, he began to panic more than he already was. Ino wasn't exactly a happy-go-lucky person, but she was usually more open than this, especially for a simple mission check in. And Choji… Choji was almost always a jolly fellow. Their changed demeanour could only mean one thing.

Eventually, Choji recognized that Naruto was talking to them, and then took a deep breath. Beside him, Ino continued to avoid eye contact with either of her superiors, letting Choji speak.

"….Yes. Mission accomplished."

Across from him, Sasuke slowly narrowed his eyes, and then noted the same thing that Naruto was thinking in his head.

"You don't sound too happy about that. What happened?"

"...We sent the Chuunin back with his team, and he'll report in a little later. He's younger and we travelled all night to get back home, so I'm assuming that the kid needed some 'off' time. The fort wasn't very populated, and they didn't prove a challenge..."

Choji closed his eyes, and beside him he could hear Ino cough nervously. In front of them, Naruto slowly came out of his calm and collected demeanour, taking his hands from behind his head and placing them on the table in front of them quietly.

"… That's… good to hear. But where's Shikamaru? He was sent with you… did he go home early too?"

Choji began to clench his teeth again, but this time he kept it's visibility behind a locked jaw. Ino cringed, and then slowly stepped forwards so that she was directly in front of the desk. In a single fluid motion, she shut her eyes tight, before reaching into the top pocket of her Jonin vest to take something small out of it, and then place it onto Naruto's desk. She closed her eyes when she left the item on the desk, and then just silently began to brace herself for the revelation to come, within her mind cursing herself for being the one to bring the news. Her hand afterwards quickly returned to her side, and Naruto and Sasuke's eyes left her and turned to the item that she had brought forth.

And as their eyes laid on the small, ringed pendant in front of them, the rest of the uneasy puzzle finally came together. But the picture that it painted wasn't one that they wanted.

Naruto immediately stood up out of his chair, and his chair went flying back to the wall, making a loud thud. His hands that he had placed on the table now helped him keep still, but his face quickly turned into one of horror nonetheless, and his eyes widened like a boy's.

"...No."

"...We were separated immediately after we rescued our target. We seemed to be running off in the same direction… but… I don't know… half an hour later and the 'group' I was following turned out to be fake, and disintegrated into thin air. I searched for the real ones all night long… eventually I ran into Choji..."

There was another pause as Ino slowly balled her hands into fists. Beside her, Choji could do nothing but look away in shame.

"...We found...what was left of Shikamaru.. hours later. Burned… and dead. Right by the river-."

"No."

Naruto shook his head slowly, as if to punctuate his words. _Not again. No… it's too soon. Temari just… it's-._

"...Choji brought what was… left of him back. He's… in the morgue now..."

Ino's fists turned a pale white, and her final words shivered and shook with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"...They must of killed him when they separated us..."

And with the final sentence, the four fell silent once again, as Sasuke and Naruto took in their report with a deep disbelief in their hearts and minds. It wasn't possible for Shikamaru Nara to be dead, not this way. Not after he had lost his own wife so recently before, not after he he been showing signs of getting better after his fight with with his own darkness. Shinobi had died countless times in the war that they fought now, but Shikamaru was… different. He was a general.

He was their friend.

The news hit them, as Choji and Ino continued to look ahead with their dead eyes. Slowly, Sasuke brought his brows together, and then grimly tried his best to move everyone in attendance forwards.

"...We should notify the Nara Clan about this immediately-."

_**"**__**No, we're not."**_

Sasuke slowly moved his eyes towards Naruto, who was still hunched over his desk in front of him. Ino and Choji, who had turned away once Sasuke spoke, were now paying attention to Naruto again. After a moment of silence, Sasuke spoke again.

"...Lord Hokage-."

"Don't tell the Nara Clan a thing. Don't tell… They've already lost their Matriarch. Losing their Patriarch this soon would send them into chaos..."

There was a silence.

"...Not to mention what it'd put Shikadai through. And… we..."

Sasuke's eyes softened on his old friend. He was shaking now, slowly and steadily. He could see the cogs in his mind whirl, he could see him try and think of a better solution.

"….Don't put him… in the morgue. Let the forensic division… inspect his body for any clue of… any closure. Don't… just no one tell Shikamaru's son about this. Keep the Nara clan out of the know until we have...until we're..."

Naruto's stuttering continued, before he found himself sitting himself down on his chair. Beside him, Sasuke slowly reached his hand forwards, only for the man beside him to swat it away, kindly yet firmly. He could do this, he believed. He didn't need Sasuke to speak for him.

He took a breath, and then continued with his erratic and uncertain thoughts.

"Give the… forensic core… two weeks at the most to… determine the circumstances of his death. Afterwards… we can slowly let others know about his passing. Until then… keep all of this… under wraps..."

He sat himself in his chair and then leaned an elbow on his desk, keeping himself upright and presentable. Even though everyone in the room could see that all of his colour had drained from his face.

"...I don't… he can't be dead this easily. Shikamaru isn't someone who could be..."

Naruto slowly raised a hand up, and then shook his head again.

"...You are… dismissed."

He shut his eyes.

"You're all.. dismissed..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Talk."

With all off the blood rushing to his head, and some of his snot sloppily coming out of his nose, the Puppet master wasn't in a position to properly answer him. Even if he was in a position to answer the man who stood beside him, he wouldn't have said a thing.

"…..."

Instead of talking, he tried his best to struggle against his bonds, and began to tug and pull the rope binding his hands. Noticing this, Ibiki narrowed his eyes, and then turned his head to the group of shinobi sitting behind the viewing glass.

"Shake him a little bit. Remind him where he is, and who he's with."

There was a nod, and the next thing that Kankuro knew, he felt the metal chains that bound his feet heat up. In the next second, it became unbearably so, and he let out a quick, loud whelp. The pain stopped in the next instant, and in the same one, he heard footsteps around his head. As his mind tried it's best to return to some semblance of normality, Ibiki's words came through again.

"It's been a week, now. Impressive. Usually the shinobi of your village crack much faster than that."

Before Kankuro could do or say anything else, Ibiki gave him a quick, almost casual kick in his chest. The force caused him to swing backwards on the rope that he dangled from, and then swing forwards once the momentum kicked in. The captive gave out a groan, before Ibiki continued to speak, now somehow harsher than before.

"Talk. Begin with the names of all of the placements you have. Then, get into the security of your village. Finally, tell us of any weak points, any short cuts, any-."

"G-g-go to Hell."

Ibiki looked down at Kankuro, and noticed that his eyes were slowly turning red due to the position he was in. For this _session, _they had decided to hang him upside down from the suspender in the middle of their interrogation room, and hooked his link chain up to their electricity source. His hands had been bound to prevent him from trying to manoeuvre himself away, he had been stripped down to his pants, and he had become subject to strikes from the baton in his captor's hand. It was the most radical thing he had done to the man yet, and hopefully this would be enough to get the tight lipped puppet master to finally speak up.

It had been a long and tiring week of torture, not just for the recipient, but for the applicators as well. No matter what they had used on the man, from genjutsu to brute force, from lies and falsehoods to truth, the worst he had done on himself was cry out or scream. And none of the intel that Ino had collected on him before she had left was helping them to reach any of his "sweet spots", or rather, any of his more sensitive memories. And each day that they wasted, Ibiki could see the disillusion begin to form on the core's faces.

Realising that he had been thinking and staying still for too long, he quickly placed both hands on his baton, and then swung at Kankuro's head. He took the blow head on, the momentum once again pushing him back. When it brought him forwards again, Ibiki kicked him in the face, and he was sent back again. As bruises began to show on the man's face, he took a breath to calm himself, and then spat onto the ground, the saliva landing just inches away from his captive's face.

"You seem to not _get_ your position, again." Once Kankuro's swing began to subside, he continued to talk.

"Either you talk, or Sunagakure loses another one of it's 'great ninja'."

When he heard a harsh laugh come from the man, he fought the urge to kick him in the face again. In his better judgement instead, he let the man have his little "victory", allowing him to laugh himself into a rough, hacking cough. When he had finished his coughing, Ibiki turned his head back to the shinobi behind the glass behind him, and motioned for them to begin the electrical shock again. He then turned himself back towards Kankuro to see that some of the false, insulting joy that he had in his eyes was slowly being replaced by the fear of anticipating the pain he was about to feel again.

He smirked in response. Every little show of weakness would become beneficial to him in the long run.

The electricity turned on again, and Kankuro's body began to spasm and shake with the vibrations of the energy that was now rushing through him. Ibiki watched was the sensation was making the wounds that the man still had on his chest from earlier sessions open and spurt out the loose blood in them, some of them beginning to turn an even sicker red than before. Kankuro's eyes began to frantically look back and forth, in uncertain directions and with no real focus at all. At first, he kept his jaw locked, but after the energy lasted for more than thirty seconds, he let out a short but sure groan.

Ibiki narrowed his eyes. This wasn't good enough, not now and not ever. He needed Kankuro to beg. He needed Kankuro _screaming. _So he turned his head back towards the shinobi behind the glass once again.

"Increase the energy," he ordered. "Make this fucker _cry_."

The shinobi at the panel nodded, and Ibiki watched him as he slowly pushed the lever up. He turned back around to see the man in front of him begin to spasm more fiercely, and his eyes seemed to widen even more. He sucked in his lips with a loud hum, preventing him from crying out entirely, but as Ibiki watched the man behind the mirror increase the setting until it was maximum, he noticed Kankuro's stoic façade begin to crumble away. His face began to contort and fuse, and he began to struggle against his bindings more and more. Ibiki took this as a sign that what he wanted to happen was beginning.

"Start talking, Kankuro We both know, we _all _know you don't like this. Just talk and we'll end it right now."

Kankuro continued to struggle vainly against his bindings, and kept his mouth shut despite the contortions that were beginning to happen. By now, the electricity that was surging through his body was visible to the naked eye, a deep and natural blue, and so were the scars and wounds that were coming from it. Along his back was a darker colour of lighting radiating just above his skin, and even on his face he was beginning to see his bruise from earlier begin to darken. But still, Ibiki wouldn't do a thing about it until the man in front of him yielded. He didn't deserve mercy.

No, he deserved much, much worse than simply to die.

Finally, something inside Kankuro cracked, and he let out a sudden and guttural scream. The lighting on him seemed to flow a different way than before now, being more radical and less controlled than it was before. Ibiki continued to simply look down on him, and he could feel the eyes behind him do the same. Now the man they all viewed was screaming at the top of his lungs, his body being surrounded in electricity that he couldn't use nor re-route, all while he frantically tried to look for ways to escape his bindings, trying to twist and turn his was to safety. It was a frightening sight to look at.

But Ibiki wasn't done. And Ibiki wouldn't buy any show of humanity from the man until he finally gave in.

"_**Surrender. **_And we'll stop all of this immediately."

He heard something pop from the man in front of him, and then heard the man's screams intensify. Still, he couldn't and wouldn't let himself feel any emotion for him, and simply continued to stand there, waiting for a response.

"...You're playing games with your life here, boy," he sneered. "Know your limit and play with-."

"_**FUCK OFF, WILL YOU!?"**_

__Ibiki flinched, and then looked down at the man again, this time making sure not to take his eyes off of him. By now, he could see that his face had turned a deep colour of red, but he couldn't tell if it was from all the electricity, or if it was from his own anger. His eyes, already intense and unforgiving on their own, were looking up to him, and had turned blue from the energy forcibly surging through him. When he spoke again, his voice crackled with the lightning that was running through him, and it didn't waver for a moment.

_"__You think I give a damn about my life!? You're an idiot. The second I was captured I threw all of those worries away. I'd __happily__ die here without letting you __bastards__ know a thing __more about my village. HAPPILY!"_

__Ibiki growled, but before he could do anything else, he noticed that Kankuro had begun to chuckle again, this time harsher than before_**. **_Feeling slighted, the man lifted his rubber baton once again, before Kankuro coughed himself out of it again. All eyes were on him now, as they had been before, as Kankuro's next words flowed from his mouth like thunder.

"I'd…. I'd give everything and anything for my village. That's the creed of _**all **_shinobi. How _**STUPID **_could you all be!? All these years of.. fighting… all of your intel… _**must have been bullshit. **_Did you read ANY of it?! What would make you think I was the type of man that would… put my own well-being in front of others? I don't care! Amp it up to a million! I don't _**CARE!**_"

And Ibiki was now dedicated to call his bluff. He turned his head to his side, and then signalled to the shinobi behind the mirror.

"You heard him! Amp it up to a million! A million and one! _**BURN **_him!"

The shinobi behind the mirror gulped, and then looked at the controls in front of him. There was nothing higher, at least not within the controls. But that didn't mean that he couldn't make it more, at least artificially so.

He made a few hand seals, and then placed his hand on the monitor. Within moments, he began to surge his own electricity through the control panel, and when he looked up, he could see that it was going through Kankuro as well. The man's screams continued, and yet all the while Ibiki kept himself still and calm.

The energy that radiated through Kankuro's body was too much for him, and everyone in attendance knew it. The excess of it was making him swing back and forth on the chain without Ibiki even having to touch him now, and the area around him was beginning to radiate along with him. The previously defiant man was now beginning to look sickly again, his skin quickly turning a ruby red.

But all of this wouldn't stop Ibiki. He wouldn't give up until he gave in.

"Give up!" He ordered. Throughout the confrontation, his voice had gotten more and more coarse, until it was at the point that it was now. Resembling a rabid dog.

"_**T**__**alk. **_Tell us what we want and we'll let you down!"

Kankuro simply continued to scream. Ibiki grit his teeth.

"What, you think dying here is going to prove something to us?! Let me tell you boy, it's not. Ninja die in wars every day. You'll just be another corpse!"

Ibiki began to pace back and forth in front of his captive.

" _'The true measure of a shinobi is not how he lives, but how he dies.' _You've heard this phrase before, and yet you're still choosing to die in some interrogation room? Hanging upside down? Being tortured to death, but still you say nothing?"

He took a pause, and then brought his brows together.

"… You've got _**guts kid, **_I'll give you that. You're a gutsy, crafty, son of a bitch."

Kankuro's screams began to fade, and Ibiki sucked in a breath.

"… Maybe that's how you want- to be remembered-."

"_**Ibiki what the HELL are you doing!?**_"

With the entrance of a new voice came the immediate shut down of the electricity that ran through Kankuro's body. Ibiki turned his head back to the control room to see that the men within the room were tinkering with the controls, and by the time he turned back around to look Kankuro's way, the man had fallen onto the floor, still bound, and hitting the ground with a loud thud. Ibiki brought his brows together and looked back at he man who had been at the controls.

"What do you think you're doing?" He scolded. "Pull him back up! We weren't finished-."

"Yes, yes you are."

Finally, he heard a large, metal door opening behind him, and looked towards it to see that it was the one that had lead to the control room. Once it opened fully, Ibiki saw that the one who had interrupted his session was no other than the same person he had supposed to be filling in for.

It was Ino. And she didn't look pleased with him in the slightest.

Her walk was strong, yet he could still notice that there was something awfully off about her. She hadn't bothered to change out of her regular Jonin vest into her Intelligence Core clothing, and her hair was slightly out of it's regular ponytail. The rings around her eyes revealed that she hadn't' seen nearly enough sleep during the past few days, and her slight slouch added to her oddness.

Nonetheless, this didn't pause or stop her anger. She made her way into the room towards him, and on the way her eyes drifted over to Kankuro's body, and upon seeing the man unconscious on the floor, with red electrical scars down his back and other, new scars that she hadn't seen before on him, she became more upset. She walked until she was nearly directly in front of Ibiki before she continued.

"Do I have to repeat myself? What the Hell were you doing here?!"

Ibiki kept his cool, and simply puffed out his chest, slowly crossing his arms in front of him.

"Doing what you should've been doing since day one," he scolded. "Getting information out of him. The proper way. The _right _way."

She clenched her teeth.

"I should've known not to leave you in charge," she spat. "Your _methods _don't work as well as mine do! And look at what you've done to him now!" She gestured to Kankuro's now unconscious body on the ground.

"He's a valuable captive, one that could change the tides of war, and you nearly electrocuted him to death!?"

"Settle down, _pacifist princess," _Ibiki coddled. He could see Ino get more bothered, but he didn't care. "I've been doing this job since before you were even born. Of course I was going to stop before he died. Because that's when he would've told me _everything."_

He gave a pause to add emphasis.

"Near-death experiences on prisoners _work. _Almost as well as threatening their loved ones, or ensuring amnesty for fellow comrades captured. You _know _this, yet every time I interrogate someone-."

"Because that's not the way we do things anymore! _My _way is the one that works. Hands off, no damage to the prisoner whatsoever-."

"And I guess that's why you've been able to report no significant new information on him since you had started, hm? 'Eden' , 'Puppet schematics'. That isn't _useful _information!"

"And how were you planning on getting the useful information out of him, then? And my way _does _work. It's been working the entire damn war, and it'll work with him too-."

"No, no it wont!" Ibiki cleared his throat, and then continued to speak, keeping his voice authoritative as opposed to combative.

"Kankuro isn't like the rest of the ones you've taken in. He wont just give up secrets if you pry around in his head for a while, and you've already seen that. What he'll respond to is brute force, unrelenting and true. After he figures out that this 'tough guy' façade wont work with us, he'll spill everything. That's what's worked for decades before you, and that's what'll work for decades after you."

Ino paused for a moment, and began to try and think of a way to shut down her former superior's arguments. The two had had nearly the exact same argument years before, when she had taken over the core from him when he went to retire. Instead of reaching a real end to it, however, they had agreed to disagree, and went their separate ways. Now, however, was more important. Their captive was the Kazekage's brother, and the best piece of intel that they were going to get from the war was held by the man on the ground next to them. They had to finally reach some sort of understanding.

But, she didn't have time to argue with him now.

"...But Kankuro _**is **_like the rest of them-."

"He's of a higher rank-."

"That doesn't separate him from the rest of them. You can't treat him differently because of his rank. My way is easier and simpler..."

She paused for a moment.

"And it preserves his brain. With the time I had with him, I was able to find out at least more than you have. What have you learned through your week of interrogation? Other than what I already knew?"

Ibiki paused, and this gave her the opportunity to continue to speak.

"Exactly, you haven't learned anything new. Whereas with _my _method, I at least have an idea of something that we've never heard of before. With _my _method, we have critical information on him. **With **_**my **_**method, we've been able to do that without him being physically hurt.**"

She gestured to him again.

"How am I supposed to work on him now? He has electrical burns all over his body, not to mention all of the bruising you've given him. What if you've ruined him for good, and I can't do my work anymore?"

"Then we simply push hi-."

"And then he'll just lie. Or he'll die without telling us another thing."

She turned her head back to the viewing glass behind them, and almost immediately some of the shinobi who had been watching came into the room. Ino motioned for them to go towards Kankuro and they did just that. Ibiki simply narrowed his eyes at her. She cleared her throat, and then continued.

"When he's strong enough to think on his own again, we're going to continue the interrogation, but in _my _way. And then I'll show you that _**my **_way is the better way of preforming interrogations. Because _**my **_way is painless if I want it to be. _**My **_way is more _tasteful. _My way is _**better-."**_

__"We'll see." Ibiki's cold and calculating voice broke into the middle of Ino's voice like a knife. "It looks like you're going to have to learn about how to preform proper interrogations on people like _**him**_ first hand. "

The two of them could hear the door behind them close as Kankuro was taken out, and the moment that they had taken him out, they moved to leave as well. They lost each other in a hallway, and once Ino knew that she was all alone, she smashed one of her fists against the wall.

It wasn't a good day for her, not in the slightest. Having to report your friend as dead. Having to come back to find out that the work you had left was being unravelled, and now having to fix everything. To deal with everything. To attend another funeral, to go to work in the morning. To just have to continue when everything that she was trying to fix was unravelling in front of her.

She took a sigh, and then slowly pushed herself off of the wall that she had fall against. She bit her lip, and then kept on walking.

That was all that she could do about anything now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Boruto Uzumaki looked over the wall and out of the backstreet that he was in. Viewing the street in front of him, he looked out for his targets, and then nodded once he didn't see them.

"Alright, no parents detected!" He announced. He turned his head around to address the group that was with him.

"All we have to do is show the guy at the front our tickets, and then we're into the most legendariest… best writtenist… and not to mention perviest… movie of all time."

He focused his eyes on Shikadai, and then gave him a thumbs up.

"Thanks for the tickets!"

Shikadai shrugged.

"Don't mention it. Chocho didn't want to come, anyway. It'll be her loss."

Beside him, Inojin scratched his head.

"Do girls even like stuff like this? I mean… really, really pervy stuff like this?"

"I dunno, don't ask me."

"Himawari doesn't. Himawari's a cute little girl."

Boruto then suddenly surged forwards to wrap his arms around both of his friend's shoulders. Both Shikadai and Inojin groaned from the sudden intrusion on their space.

"But we're guys! Big, tall guys! And we're about to become Men! Adult, _perverted _men! Just like Master Jiraiya once was!"

Inojin messed up his face.

"Wasn't Master Jiraiya also a great Ninja-."

"No! The most important thing about Jiraiya was that he was a colossal pervert! A colossal pervert that wrote the greatest books of all time!"

Boruto swung both of his friends around, and then pointed towards the end of the alley that they had hidden themselves in. Across the street, there was the theatres. A Big, red building, with a box office in front, and a set of doors leading inside. A giant line of people lined up

Their destination.

"Now let's go, my companions and buddies! Let's go become men! No adult rating will stop us!"

Shikadai cringed. _Boruto's so troublesome. Probably because he's been hanging out with Metal lately. He probably also trains out with Master Lee. Ugh. How does the Hokage even stand him?_

Once Boruto let go of both of his companions, he looked around to reacquaint himself with his surroundings. It was dark now, around 9pm, and he and Boruto had successfully snuck out out their homes to meet up in the alleyway closest to the theatre that was showing the première of _Icha Icha Paradise: The Unpublished Words._ They had made sure that none of their parents, nor their guardians, knew where they were going, and especially not what they were about to go see. On TV earlier that same day, the director, Kakashi Hatake, had ensured that it was going to be the most accurate adaptation that the world would ever see of Jiraiya's unpublished works, and that it was definitely _**not **_something for kids to watch.

Of course, this had just cemented Shikadai's want to see the movie. After finding out that Chocho didn't want to go, he had quickly recruited Boruto to come along and use up the extra ticket. Now the only thing that was left of the three of them was to get into the première without being detected by any adults. With his brilliant mind, Shikamaru's son was sure that he could figure out a way in.

That was, of course, if Boruto didn't let his excitement get the best of him. Which was what was happening now.

Boruto had wandered out of the alleyway and into the main street, which was filled with lights and was now rushing towards the ticket redemption booth. The theatres was already surrounded with a large amount of people, most of them being singles, but he was sure that the sight of a child would gain them a swift eviction off of the premises. Shikadai wasn't about to have that.

Before Boruto got too close, Shikadai picked up a nearby rock and threw it at the heel of his foot. Almost as if that was his weak spot, Boruto found himself falling face first onto the pavement. Before he could gain anymore attention, Inojin had rushed forwards, grabbing him by the legs, and had dragged him back to the dark, unvisible alley that they had been waiting in. When Boruto arrived back, he let a few beads of sweat fall off his head.

"Oh, right! Sorry, I got ahead of myself-."

"Don't next time," Shikadai scolded, frowning. "I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really want to see this movie."

There was a pause as both Inojin and Boruto looked up at Shikadai, noting his enthusiasm.

"...Wow," Inojin said. "I didn't know that you were that much of a perv-."

"Yeah, I am. So is everyone here. We're all filthy, filthy pervs-."

"We're all like Jiraiya!"

"Yeah, what he said."

Shikadai then looked past Boruto, and slowly moved past him. Reaching into the pack that was on his back, he took out a pair of binoculars, put them on, and then inspected the line to the box office, the box office, and the door to the theatres. The well lit street in front of them was going to be a deathtrap for children tonight, and he only needed a few glances to understand that if he wanted to get into the box office, the three of them needed to disguise themselves as adults. The situation called for transformation jutsu. He knew that he was decent at it, having been able to transform into a green eyed version of his father a couple of times, but before arriving he hadn't checked on if the other two in his group were good at it.

He sighed, and then placed both of his hands together in a seal.

"Alright guys, you're going to have to do what I do to get in."

He blew air onto his hand seal, and then a puff of smoke appeared to surround and hide him. After a few moments, it cleared, and Shikadai looked nearly identical to his father. The same height, the same beard. The only difference being his green eyes.

"Woaaaahhh…." Both of his companions said. Shikadai turned back towards them, and then nodded.

"Alright. Show me what you've both got."

Inojin nodded.

"Me first."

He placed his hands into a seal, and then sucked in a breath.

"Transformation Jutsu!"

Another puff of smoke appeared, and once it cleared, Inojin looked like a blonde version of his own father. He was just as tall, although his own features slightly broke the illusion. He still had his mother's teal eyes, and he still retained his basic facial shape.

Inojin stood up as and adult, and then nodded.

"Okay Boruto, your turn."

Boruto grinned, and then quickly placed his hands into a seal.

"Alrighty then! You both are about to see how much better my transformation Jutsu is compared to yours!"

He placed his hands into a seal.

"Super Secret Technique! _**SEXY JUTSU!"**_

__Inojin and Shikadai both widened their eyes in terror.

"Oh NO!-."

It was too late. In the next instant, Boruto had turned himself into a tall, adult, skinny, and beautiful blonde woman.

And a completely naked one at that.

Both Inojin and Shikadai found themselves being thrown back, and instantly blood began to flow from their noses. They both landed on the wall next to them, and made a loud sound once they hit it. Instantly, they were knocked out by the powers of their friends perversion. Meanwhile, Boruto stood in front of them, and then began to make lewd and erotic poses with his new body. He flexed a few times, before he laughed out loud.

"Haaaaaaaaaa! My Transformation Jutsu is better than yooouuurrrsss!"

"Oh I'm sure it is, Boruto."

Upon hearing the newest voice to enter the equation, Boruto flinched, and then looked up, directly into the eyes of the man who had just spoken. And there, on the rooftop above them…

Was the director of the perviest film in existence, Kakashi Hatake.

The moment that Boruto saw him, he found himself jumping back in fear. Out of all of the people that could have discovered them on this night, the director of their soon to be favourite movie was the one.

And strangely, Boruto didn't know how to feel about it. Should he be honoured to be staring the greatest pervert of all time in the face? Should he be embarrassed for planning on getting into his film illegally? Should he offer him a hug? Should he run away?

Thankfully, Kakashi made that choice for him.

"I don't even want to know."

And in the next instant, Boruto's world went dark.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Repeat after me; ' _Icha Icha Paradise: The Unpublished Words __is not a movie for children. ' "_

" Icha Icha Paradise: The Unpublished Words is not a movie for children."

"It is a movie for people who are in healthy relationships."

"It is a movie for people who are in healthy relationships."

"It is for Mom and Dad."

"It is for Mom and Dad."

"It's for the Hokage and his wife."

"It's for the Hokage and his wife."

"It's for Mr and Mrs Shinobi."

"It's for Mr and Mrs Shinobi."

"It's not for me."

"It's not for me."

"Good."

Kakashi leaned back on the chair he was sitting in, and then scratched his neck. Meanwhile, Boruto looked to his left and looked to his right for his companions. They had been tied up and placed in the dark classroom as well, both Chocho and Sarada were there too (much to his surprise. _I guess girls can be pervs too._). Meanwhile, standing beside Kakashi was their sensei, Shino, and he didn't look impressed with any of his students at the moment. And in the dark classroom, only being illuminated by a single light, the look on his face was something out of a horror movie.

Boruto gulped, and then moved his eyes back to Kakashi. The director, on the other hand, looked more bored than he did upset at any of the children in front of him. He looked over them for a few moments, stopping and pausing to give a look of concern when he reached Shikadai's face, before placing a hand to his covered chin.

"Well, they seem to have learned their lesson."

_Yeah, I did! _Boruto thought to himself. In reality, he really hadn't. All he needed to do was get away from Kakashi, and then try to get into the movie another time. Kakashi turned his head towards their teacher, and then shrugged.

"Well Shino. What do you want to do with them?"

Shino didn't waste any time thinking about it.

"What should we do with them? Call their parents. Will they be happy with them in the slightest? Probably not."

"It's a plan, then."

Kakashi stood up out of his chair, and then slowly made his way to the phones behind him. All the while, Boruto began to panic.

"Noo… please don't call my Dad! I was only going to see the movie because he wanted me to! He said that he wanted… umm…. My Dad told me to do it!"

Next to him, Shikadai let himself smirk softly. His father was away, and before he had left, he had asked for Mirai and Kurenai to look after him. They were quite laid back, especially Mirai, and while Boruto might have been in big trouble now, he sure as hell wasn't.

_Serves you right for trying to knock me out…._

Inojin, on the other hand, was definitely doomed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi watched from inside the classroom as the parents and guardians came for their children.

As he had predicted earlier, Hinata was embarrassed by her son, and she became mad for the first time in a long time.

Sasuke only glared at his daughter when he came to pick her up.

Choji seemed to be embarrassed by his daughter at first, before he shared his chips with her, and whatever tension that had been between them eased away.

Sai, instead of even pretending to scold his son, instead decided to make rather inappropriate jokes until the two were out of sight. _I guess he hasn't learned enough from Ino yet._

And Shikadai…

Kakashi sighed as he watched the mischievous boy walk off into the night with Mirai. She had told him about her and Shikamaru's arrangement, and at the time Shikadai seemed to be relieved that his father wasn't there. Out of all of the men he had known, Shikamaru was the only one with a singular sexuality. He only loved Temari, and that was it. If anyone would've given him an earful for being a shameless pervert, it would've been him.

And as Shikadai walked away from the schoolyard, having just escaped punishment for his deeds, Kakashi couldn't help but to think-.

"So you've heard about it as well, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi slowly moved his eyes from the window to the man who was standing in front of his makeshift desk. Quietly, Kakashi nodded his head.

"I have…. Sasuke told me earlier when I checked in..."

"He did the same to me..."

Both of the men in the room let the silence overtake them, before Kakashi took a breath in, and then shook his head.

"...It's not right," he muttered to himself. "And it's… disgustingly convenient. For a boy to lose both of his parents in two separate accidents..."

"…. Maybe this is a sign…?"

Kakashi kissed his teeth, and then looked away from Shino in a bought of shame.

"I hope it's a sign that it's almost over."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_AN: I apologise for any issues in this chapter. Also, I'm going to have to ask for a bit of an extension for the next chapter. I'll try to get it out by next __**Wednesday**__, ok? I'm going to have a lot of responsibilities now, since I'm starting a new job and I have to get ready to go back to school. But I'll try to update when I can. Thank you VERY much for reading so far, and I hope that you're still enjoying it. Please remember to R&amp;R if you can. Thank you, and I'll see you then!_


	33. Nightmares And Reality II

_AN: Work is the main reason why this chapter took so long to get out. Sorry about that, but when I get back from it it's usually late and I'm usually too tired to be creative. I'm sorry that this is starting to affect the story._

_Another piece of bad news is that because I have work now, I might have to end my "Chapter a week" plan that I had going on. I'm not exactly sure when the next chapter will come out, but expect sometime around September 12th, if not before then. I just don't have enough time to continue the story right now. I'll leave you with this short chapter here though, but I think that you'll like it. Thank you for your paitence._

_Anyways, except another nerve racking chapter, as they always are. I'm going to try and put more positivity into this story soon though, since you guys need some reason to keep reading. I promise that it's not going to end the way that you think though. Anyway, let's get this started. _

_As per usual, **I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Kankuro blinked twice, and simply continued to look forwards as the countdown continued._

_ "Five, four, three, two, one…."_

_ In front of him, Temari opened her eyes._

_ "Ready or not, here I come- KANKY!"_

_ Kankuro flinched at the escalation of her voice, and then slowly looked around, and behind him, trying to see what his older sister was yelling about. Once he noticed that there was no change to their surroundings, that the two of them were still alone in their house, he looked back at her with wide and confused eyes._

_ "Eh?!"_

_ Temari let out a long and loud sigh._

_ "Kanky, you're supposed to HIDE before I finish the countdown. That's why it's called hide n' seek!"_

_ Childishly, the boy in front of her sucked in his lips, and then began to rub his fingers together._

_ "__But what if you can't find me?!"_

_ "That's the __**point! I'm not supposed to find you!**_"

_Kankuro's face turned into a more horrified one quickly. _

_ "But…__ I don't want you to not be able to find me."_

_Temari rolled her eyes._

_ "Oh brother."_

_ "I don't want to be __gone__ from you. I don't want you to go away."_

_ In front of him, Temari sighed and took a deep, long breath. The two of them were kids again, and the seven year old girl in front of him was slowly becoming annoyed. Him, on the other hand, still didn't understand a word that she was staying. All he knew was that he didn't want to get lost. Not like that time last week, when she had to get his Dad to help find him-._

_ He shuddered, but before he could do anything else, he felt two small hands rest on his shoulders. He looked up to see that it had been Temari who had placed her hands there, and __she was giving him a pitying look._

_ "Listen. I'm not going away for good, and you're not going away for good either. It's just hide n' seek! If I can't find you after three minutes, then you can come back out again and you win the game. Same thing if I'm hiding too. Nobody's going to get lost again, nobody's going to be gone for a long time."  
_

_ Kankuro still looked at her with disbelief, and seeing that, Temari slowly curved her stern look into a light smile. The boy in front of her raised an eyebrow, before she __continued._

_ "How about this? Just so you can start to get how this game's supposed to work, how about I hide, and you come find me?"_

_ Kankuro's worried look persisted, and Temari slowly moved her hands from her shoulders to her back and began to rub onto it slowly. _

_ "It's going to be ok Kanky. You know I'd never leave you. You know I'm always going to be here for you, ok?"_

_ Kankuro's face slowly calmed, and Temari quickly leaned in to give him a quick, yet firm hug._

_ "__You're my best friend, ok?"_

_ The boy could feel all of his paranoid feelings slowly slip away with Temari's reassurance, and he slowly moved his own little hands to __wrap around her own back, pulling her closer to him the best he could._

_ "You're my best friend too, Tema. __You're… the best big sister!"_

_ Temari slowly left his grip, but the moment that he could see her face again, everything had changed._

_ Around him, the childhood room that they had been in was quickly replaced with a sudden and sickly darkness. There was nothing else to be visible but her now. And quickly, Kankuro could feel himself changing rapidly as well. His distance from the floor beneath him increased, he stood up taller. He could feel his hands grow bigger, his legs, arms, feet and chest grow broader. In a moment, it was clear that he wasn't a kid anymore. _

_ And neither was Temari. _

_ He had watched as she grew with him, and when her head left his shoulder and positioned itself in front of him again, he couldn't help but let out a gasp._

_ Not only was Temari's face adult… but so were her wounds. There was a series of scars around her neck and chin now, one of her eyes was surrounded by a dark, black bruise, and __one of her ears was cut ever so slightly at it's tip. Her eyes were a strained red, and her lips were caked and dry. Her skin was almost scaly, and Kankuro noticed her slack in his arms. If he were to let go of her now, she would undoubtedly fall to whatever ground they were standing on, and from the looks of it, break into a million pieces._

_ And the sudden change of all of this made the now adult Kankuro shiver and shake in his stance. That was until Temari found the strength to focus her sallow eyes on him, and parted her lips to speak._

_ "If we're such good friends, __**why did you kill me, brother?"**_

___Kankuro felt as if she had taken a dagger to his heart. _

_ Around them the scenery changed once again. __Now, the blackness slowly turned into a green and bright forest, with a thousand old trees, rock, and visible roots. __Soon, the background slowly changed from the forest, and eventually settled on a large, open field, it's floor grassy, it's sky blue with not a cloud in the sky. There was a forest to be found on the far edges of it, but Kankuro soon found that the forest was not the focal point of the vision._

_ Instead, it was the small boy who cam running from over the hill, rushing __closer into his view._

_ The boy looked immediately familiar to him. His long black hair had been placed up into a tight ponytail, his eyes were a light green, and his skin was a slightly ruddy tan. __He was wearing a simple white t-shirt, and a pair of dark green shorts, with no shoes or sandals whatsoever. As he rushed over the hill, he eventually slowed down to try to preform a cartwheel, only for him to fail and end up on his ass. __He punctuated this with a sudden, yet loud grunt._

_ Kankuro watched the scene with a new found interest, all the while he continued to hold his elder sister in his arms, firmly but somehow softly as well, trying not to hurt her, but making sure that she wouldn't fall. __After a few moments, the boy stood himself up again, and then moved to try and preform another cartwheel-_

_ "Shikadai! Wait!"_

_ Until over the hill came… Temari._

_ And the sight of her filled Kankuro with happiness._

_ She was wearing a dark green kimono with a black sash, and yet somehow she was still able to run over the hills and directly towards the boy. Once the little one noticed that she was coming, he turned himself around and prepared for whatever she would say, completely obedient. Once she had finished making her way down the hill, her face turned into a light frown. She held up one of her hands to reveal that she was carrying a pair of children's shoes in it._

_ "__Shikadai, put on your shoes! There are a lot of things in the forest that could cut you!"_

_At this, Kankuro watched as the boy let out a pout._

_ "No!"_

_ Temari narrowed her eyes._

_ "Shikadai-."_

_ "Too __**Troublesome! No!"**_

___Kankuro chuckled lightly at the scene in front of him, until he slowly realised who the boy was reminding him of. Of course, the boy had Temari's energy, and definitely her eyes, but he also looked like-._

_From the top of the hill, the final member of the family approached. And the moment that he came into view, Kankuro's eyes narrowed, and he could feel his temper rise._

_ Shikamaru Nara._

_ The man wasn't in a hurry until he saw his wife and child lower on the other side of the hill, and even then, his pace towards the two of them didn't exactly increase. Almost to match his wife's kimono, he wore his own green one, except his had the symbol of the Nara clan etched onto it's collar and sleeves. He wore his own sandals, and otherwise looked as he did normally. High black ponytail, a medium length goatee growing on his chin. Not a scar on his face._

_ Kankuro grit his teeth._

_None of the ones in the field had noticed either of them. Instead, he watched as Shikamaru made his way to the rest of his family, before engaging in a quick conversation with them about something or other. After a few moments of this, he watched as he turned to give his son a quick hi five, and then turned around to take his place beside his wife, and the two watched as the boy tried to preform a cartwheel again, still not wearing the shoes that his mother had brought for him. This time, it __succeeded._

_ "...This is my family… Kankuro..."_

_ The puppet master turned his head back towards the woman in his arms after she spoke, and she continued once she was sure that she had his attention._

_ "...Was it so wrong that I wanted one? Was it so bad that I __**had **__one? My husband, my son. Why did you have to take me from them? They didn't deserve this-."_

_ "__Don't pin all of this on me!" Kankuro snapped. His grip on her increased as he continued._

_ "You're the one who ran away! You're the one who married that rat bastard! You-."_

_ "So it was wrong for me to be in love?"_

_ Around him, his visions began to change once again. Shikamaru and the rest of his family slowly disappeared, and instead, Kankuro found himself __viewing a hospital room. He saw two people, __one underneath some covers, and another sitting beside the other, but the person was sitting on a stool. The vision slowly cleared to show that a slightly younger Kankuro was sitting in the stool, and that the person in the bed was Shiori. She looked de shelved and exhausted, but nonetheless in her eyes he could see that she was still deadly determined._

_ Once the vision revealed the baby in her arms, he knew why. Temari's voice returned to him again._

_ "But it's fine for you to be in love. It's acceptable for you to have a family for your own."_

_ Kankuro felt something on the inside of him crack, and when he spoke his next words to the woman he held, it was barely a growl._

_ "No! I told you __why before, and I'll say it again! When I married her… when we became a family… it wasn't treason! She'd never make me do anything like that! Stop creating false equivalences! You married a man who murdered countless people from your own village!"_

_ "And I'm speaking to a man who's killed his fair share of people from __**his **__village."_

_ The younger brother clenched his teeth._

_ "... __Such things are what happens in a __**decade long war-."**_

_** "**__Which wouldn't have had happened if you had just listened-"_

_ "Not THIS again!"_

_ Kankuro flared up, but in front of him, Temari could only narrow her eyes. _

_ "...__Every time__ I bring it up, you get angry. You always got angry at the truth, Kank-."_

_ "__You saw what they did-"_

_ "We never-"_

_ "__**Just shut up!"**_

___When Temari stopped, Kankuro continued. At this point, his voice was quivering, but it was unclear what the emotion was that marinated with it. _

_ "You… this is… it's all __**your **__fault that you're like this! __It's all __**your **__fault that this happened! If you had just… stayed in Sunagakure… like __you were supposed to… none of this would've ever happened! I wouldn't be trapped right now, the villages wouldn't have been in shambles! I-."_

_ "You wouldn't have killed me."_

_ Kankuro began to shake in his position._

_ "I…__ I didn't mean to kill you and you know that. I didn't mean to hurt you-."_

_ "But you did-."_

_ "It was under Gaara's order-."_

_ "So Gaara wanted to kill me, and you let him?"_

_ "No! That's not what I mean-."_

_**"You always did have a hard time standing up to him."**_

___Around them, Kankuro watched as his surrounding changed once again. Now, he could see the forest again, but this time it was darker, almost sinister. The view soon cleared so that __Kankuro and Temari could see younger versions of themselves, along with Gaara standing next to them. The clearing they were in was littered with sand, and even without looking directly at him, Kankuro could feel a terrifying presence coming from Gaara. He looked and watched as his younger self tried to speak to him, only for Gaara to quickly shut him up with a snarl. The two of them went back and forth for a few moments, before he watched Gaara hold out a hand in front of him, and his younger self simply close his eyes in defeat._

_ The adult Kankuro shuddered at the memory that was playing out in front of him, and then __turned his head away. Meanwhile, the woman in front of him began to speak again._

_ "Remember when I saved you back here, too? If I hadn't spoken up, Gaara would've killed you..."_

_ The scene changed again, and upon hearing it, Kankuro raised his head again. Now, they were in their childhood home again, the Kazekage mansion. He remembered this memory well, and watched as a younger version of himself ran __into a dark wood closet, shutting the doors behind him. He saw a younger version of Gaara slowly approach it, His head down, eyes dark. _

_ He then saw a young version of Temari slide her way in front of the closet, and Gaara stopped his approach. The adult Temari in front of him spoke again._

_ "Remember here? I saved you here as well. It cost me a few broken bones and a skull fracture, but-."_

_ "What are you trying to prove?!" The adult Kankuro snapped. "I know all of these things! I know what you've done for me-."_

_ "And yet when it mattered the most, you couldn't protect me even once. When it mattered most, you came into my home and you took me from my __**family**__."_

_ "You left your __**real family **__years ago-."_

_ "No, I never left you!"_

_ Now, the scene behind them began to crumble. Slowly but surely, their childhood home turned to naught, and they were standing in a darkness once again. Now it was just Kankuro, holding the frail body of his sister in front of him, standing over some sort of ebony abyss._

_ "What did you think I was doing all of those years that I was away? I was pleading for your lives! If it wasn't for me, you and Gaara would've been dead years ago. Or do you actually think that the shinobi of Konohagakure are that weak?"_

_Kankuro steeled his face, but then began to notice something happening to the woman in front of him. Temari's face was slowly beginning to peel away at the edges, but as it seemed now, the skin underneath it was the same was the skin on the surface. Her eyes focused on his as he watched this happen in front of him, and she sucked in a breath before speaking more sternly towards him._

_ "I… I never wanted to hurt you, Kankuro. Ever since you were born I've always been protecting you. So why would I change that now!? Even in Konohagakure, all I wanted to do was protect you and Gaara! I… I wanted to protect my village. __I wanted to protect __**both **__of my villages! __And I tried my best to do that..."_

_ There was a pause, and Kankuro watched, as if the peeling was taking too slow, her face began to melt in front of him._

_ "__But you had to ignore me. You started the war. You caused so much pain and suffering to others over the past ten years… and then..."_

_ Kankuro let out a terrified gasp when Temari's faced melted away to reveal a sickly, faceless, and brown wood underneath it…_

_ "__You __**killed **__me. You and Gaara both did."_

_Kankuro began to shake again._

_ "...No..."_

_ "I'm dead now, Kankuro..."_

_ He began to feel hotter, and the area around him began to turn a shade of red…_

_ "No… I… It wasn't-."_

_ "It was, Kankuro. Just face it..."_

_ He began to see rocks and lava spout around him._

_ "No-."_

_ "You killed me, took me away from my husband. My son. My entire __**family..."**_

___Finally, the landscape finally revealed itself to him entirely. He and Temari were now standing in a small, rocky throne room, and in front of them was a small series of steps that lead up to a stone throne. Around them, he could see that lava flowed in the ground and on the walls, increasing the heat of the area around him. _

_ He looked towards the throne to see that it was empty, but not for long. Almost the moment he noticed it's occupancy, he began to see a swirl appear on it, and once the swirl stopped occupying his view…_

_ Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, was sitting on the throne. His Kage robes were on, but his face was clearly visible._

___Kankuro took a step back. The moment he did this, his father looked up at him, and then leaned back on the chair he sat on. Kankuro looked into the same, consuming eyes that he himself had, and after a few moments of utter silence, the former Kage spoke to his eldest son._

_ "… It looks like I'm not the only one who kills this family, at least not anymore. Good job, __**son**__."_

_Kankuro nearly threw up._

_B__efore he __suddenly found himself falling to the ground beneath him. Temari, however, didn't fall with him, and instead began to levitate on the ground above him. __Once he hit the floor, landing face first, he found himself being pulled into the ground beneath him._

_ He looked up at her, and then reached out a hand, trying to reach onto her kimono, or at least reach something solid on the now evaporating ground beneath him. It was no avail, for the moment that he reached out, Temari lifted herself further into the sky._

_ "No… you belong here… Kankuro. You belong in __**Hell."**_

___Kankuro threw up another arm, and tried desperately to find something around him to grab, throwing his arms back and forth. _

_ "I… I don't! It was a __**mistake! **__I didn't mean it-."  
_

_ "You let it happen! You can't mistakenly kill your __**sister!"**_

___From the throne, Rasa still withheld his __relaxed__ stance, and yet his words came and stabbed Kankuro like a million and one kunai._

_ "I… I didn't mean… It was a mistake! You weren't supposed to get hurt! It wasn't supposed to affect you this much-."_

_ "But it did, son. And now she's with-."_

_ "JUST…__** DON'T**__ TALK DOWN TO ME! WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!? __DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID__!?"_

_ By now, Kankuro's neck was underground, and he knew that he was almost trapped here. He continued to thrash about, trying to use his hands, his chakra strings, anything that he had to get out of the area. But nonetheless, nothing he did helped. Instead, he continued his slow but steady descent into nothingness._

_ All the while Temari watched him. Her face was a blank slate of wood now, but he could still feel her looking down on him. Just like his father was doing now. And he couldn't stand it. But he couldn't stand himself either._

_ They were right. He had killed Temari, his big sister. _

_ He deserved to be dragged into Hell._

_ But…_

_ "TEMARI!"_

_ He didn't want to leave… he couldn't leave…._

_ "TEMARI! PLEASE! TEM!"_

_ He couldn't leave this world behind until he was finished…_

_ "__Accept it, Kankuro-."_

_ "I DO!"_

_ He couldn't leave __**them **__behind…_

_ "BUT…__ I CAN'T… YOU CAN'T JUST HAVE ME LEAVE THEM BEHIND!"_

_ "Why should you get your own family when I was stripped of mine-."_

_ "I WANT TO… I HAVE TO FINISH THIS FOR THEM! I HAVE TO-."_

_ "__I can't let you do that, Kankuro. I can't help you anymore, and it's you who made it so. You have to help __**yourself**__."_

_ "PLEASE! I NEED TO __**SHOW **__YOU! I HAVE TO-."_

_ Kankuro took in his final breath._

_ "TEMARI!"  
_

_ "I can't anymore… Kankuro. I'm sorry..."_

_ A tear began to roll down her wooden face._

_ "I love you."_

_ "TEMARI! NO! TEMARI DON'T!"_

_ His chin was being sucked in by the ground beneath him._

_ "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO HELL! I DON'T WANT TO GO TO HELL! TEMARI! TEMARI HELP ME PLEASE! TEMARI! __I'M SORRY! PLEASE!__"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**"TEMARI!"**

Kankuro immediately jolted forwards, and his eyes opened on instant. However, now his surroundings were different than before. Around him wasn't the rocky and dark landscape of hell. He was no longer hot, and instead found himself simply warm. Slowly, his real surroundings came into view, and he looked around to see that he was in another concrete room, but instead of on the ground, he was sitting in a makeshift cot. He could feel something pumping into him, and looked to both sides of himself to see that in both his right and left arms, he was stuck with needles. Following the strings, he saw that in one arm he was being pumped with blood, and in the other hand he was being pumped with some sort of clear fluid. He was covered in a single, white sheet, and behind him was a single pillow. His cot was up against the wall, another side of the wall was directly against the front of his bed, and beside him on the floor there was a single stool. There were no windows In his room, and the only light came from a cheap light bulb that hung above him.

He idly pulled one of his arms forwards to find that he was unrestricted. But when he wiggled his left leg, he noticed that there was a tight chain on it. He sighed, before letting himself smirk.

_Thought so._

He took a few deep breathes, and then let himself fall back onto the pillows behind him. His mind raced with a small satisfaction that he had survived Ibiki's torture session earlier, but it was quickly rolled over and replaced with the shame and horror that he felt from his previous dream and vision. After weeks of holding it in, it had finally gotten to him. He had finally felt it.

He killed his sister. It was really real.

Slowly, he moved his hands so that they covered his head, and then shut his eyes. The actions he had done on that day slowly repeated in his mind as he struggled to find any peace with them. Temari had _just _returned into his life, and to welcome her he had taken her life. And, by extension, taken her away from the people she had cared about.

And what was worse, her death resulted in the loss of a not just a sister. But a mother as well.

Kankuro thought back to the day that he had learned his own mother had died, and nearly felt old, salty tears come to his face. Temari's boy was likely older than he was back then, but the fact still remained that he had left another motherless child in the world. His actions resulting in this were becoming more and more frequent as the war went on, but before he couldn't say that he particularly cared too much for it. Murder and abandonment was a part of war.

But he never thought that he would be a man to place his own flesh and blood through it.

And… _Temari…_

He had spent his entire childhood with her. When his father became busy and Yashamaru died, she was the only one there for him. She had protected him from Gaara, from most, if not all, of the things that had tried to harm him. She had supported him when no one else had, and she had been there for him since his first breath.

And he had killed her.

He took a breath in, and then slowly removed his hands from his face. He had never thought his village would bring him to kill his own family, but it had come to that now. But…

He had given her multiple chances to back down. He had tried to convince her that their way was the correct one. And instead, she had run to this village, to Shikamaru-.

Kankuro suddenly felt enraged again, and gripped his fists in a mixture of anger and pain.

It was all because of that man. It was all because of the _butcher_.

_ He _was the _real _reason why she was dead, Kankuro rationalized in his mind. He had been the one to sew doubt and uncertainty in her mind, he had been the one to convince her to run away to his village. He had been the one to _trick _her all of these years. He had been the one who was supposed to die on that day. If he had been strong enough, if he had been a true _husband, _he would've never let his wife die in his stead.

_He _was the failure, it wasn't him.

But even as Kankuro thought it over in his head, he couldn't make himself more calm.

His heart still beat fast, unrelenting and harsh. His eyes still were red with anger, and his fists were still clenched. Because nothing that he had thought of, nothing that he believed mattered at the moment.

He was still trapped. He was still handicapped. He was still weak.

All the while the list of his responsibilities only grew. He needed to escape. He needed to get back home, to Gaara, to Okuni, to Shiori. He needed to finish, no _win _the war that had ripped his family apart.

And now it was even more certain that he needed to kill Shikamaru was well.

Before he could finish his thoughts, he heard the door beside him swing open, and his eyes turned in the direction of the noise. A few seconds passed before he saw that the one who had entered his room was Ino Yamanaka.

And upon seeing her, he felt his heart beat just a little faster than it had been before.

He felt his mind race back to the last time he had been conscious, and shuddered in his seat. She had been the one to free him from his chains, and he could remember her chastising Ibiki before he fell comatose. At first, he felt a tinge of respect for her, but soon realised that she likely only did such a thing because he was still useful to her village.

Nonetheless, he still leaned himself up in his cot, and then looked towards her. Without another word, she sat herself in the stood that was beside his bed, and then began to look at the heart monitor that had been inserted into his body, before she looked over him. He watched as her eyes travelled down his bare chest, noticing the red electrical scars that trailed from the bottom of his neck down to his navel, and noticing how the hair that was growing on his chest seemed to have grown away from the scar, as if the electricity had repelled them. She then looked over his firm and stern muscles, and once noticing that he was mostly fin-.

"Like what you see?" 

Ino flinched, while Kankuro let himself chuckle harshly. Despite the position he was in, hooked up to multiple Ivs and monitors, with a splitting headache and a chain around his one good leg, he still couldn't help himself but to tease and annoy his captor. After a moment, Ino realised what type of game he was playing, and returned her face into a stern look.

"No. I don't like men with beards."

She then motioned to her chin, and almost by command, Kankuro lifted his own hand up to rub his chin. When his fingers felt the spiky, disjointed texture of a stubble, he frowned, and then used the same hand to rub all around his mouth and chin. She hadn't been joking. While it wasn't a lot of it, he was growing something there. He took a deep breath, and leaned back into his pillows.

"Looks like there's not a lot wrong with you," Ino muttered. She reached into her coat to take out a small pad and pen, and Kankuro watched as she began to scribble some things down.

"You recovered quickly. Good for you. It'll just be a few days then until we can star-."

"Interrogating me again-."

"Unless you want to tell m-."

"Heh. Fuck off."

Ino grit her teeth, but Kankuro could tell that she really didn't care as much for her defiance as she let on. After all, it was the same conversation the two usually had. He would be mildly defiant, but at the end of the day, her method of interrogation didn't require his co-operation.

It simply required for him to be alive.

Kankuro took a breath, and then slowly began to let his eyes shift around the room. He had already attempted an escape attempt earlier, and it had ended with him being placed under more pain than he had been prepared for. The last attempt had failed due to the same reason why he couldn't just get up and walk away from Ino now; his missing leg. He needed to escape. He needed to finish his war. He needed to _kill that man…_

But the more and more he thought about it, the more and more it became apparent to him that he'd have to rely on someone **else **to escape his bindings. And the revelation made him angrier than it should have.

"...By the way… how was your nightmare?"

Kankuro instantly narrowed his eyes. _Did she see it too? _As with every other time she had entered his mind, he had no real notification that she had been within it, but unlike every other time-.

"Get the _**hell **_away from me-."

"Just spill it. Did you finally start to feel like shit for everything that you've done-."

"_**Get out.**_"

Kankuro tried to reach towards her, but the chain on his leg kicked in. Still, before it did his arms were a short length away from the stool that she stood in, his eyes had intensified and laid on her face, his teeth had clenched his face into a terrifying glare, and the instant of his movements made her flinch. Nonetheless, he could tell that he hadn't exactly shaken her a huge way. She silently took his actions in, and then stood up straight in her chair again, narrowing her eyes to match his.

"You still don't know how this works. You're _my _prisoner. I saved _your _life. Meaning that when I ask a question, it'd probably be a good idea to answer it-."

"My nightmares are none of your business. _Stay out of them."_

"_I was never in your nightmare. _ And considering your position, I can do whatever I damn well please with your mind."

Ino took a breath, and then Kankuro noticed something… off about her. She was always bossy towards him and firm, but ever since the day before she had been acting off. With this in his mind, he slowly regained his sick, cocky composure.

"So… who died?"

Ino's eyes widened again, and Kankuro knew that he was onto something. He opened his mouth again, but before any words could travel out of it, he felt the headache in his mind intensify. He ducked his head into his chest and recoiled from the pain, slowly placing a hand to his head, before he heard Ino's voice again.

"Like I said, all I know of your nightmare was that it was about Temari." She took a slight sigh.

"...We miss her too."

Kankuro blinked, and slowly his headache receded enough for him to lift his head again. By the time he did, he noticed that Ino was already heading out of the door. Before she left, he heard her mutter one final remark:

"...We're going to start again tomorrow. Rest up."

She shut the door loudly behind her, and Kankuro took the cue as an excuse to lay himself back down again. He stayed silent for a few moments longer, and simply let himself listen to the quiet of the room around him. After a few moments, he closed his eyes, and returned his hands to his head.

_...I'm sorry, Temari. I'll make it up to you soon…_

_X__XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_ Sorry about the length and everything, but I really just can't write right now. The next chapter will come out __around September 12__th__, and it's going to be the normal length and much, much better. Thank you for your patience at this time, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter as it is! Remember to R and R if you can._


	34. Trial

_AN: And my little hiatus is over! Well, for the most part._

_School's started again, so this means I'm going to have less time to write, as per usual. However, I will make it a point to get chapters out once a week at earliest, and at the longest, once every 10 days. Also, once again I would like to thank everyone who reads this story, and reviewers as well. I'm trying to not make this turn out to be 500k+ Words, but it looks like I'm just not that good of a writer. Oh well. We'll see, right?_

_I had to rush to get this chapter out, so it's going to be REALLY short compared to the other ones. But the next one should be long to make up for it. I hope you all are still liking the story thus far. If it seems boring, then **SPOILER **I'm planing on adding a LOT of action soon **SPOILER END **. _

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Promise me something else, Shikamaru..."_

_ Upon hearing his name, Shikamaru looked down onto his chest. There, he watched as Temari slowly began to slowly tangle her fingers in his hair, as she usually did after their coupling. But he could tell that something was off from her voice. Something was separate. Something was... wrong._

_ "...Mm?" The sound he made sounded a bit off from usual, to match her own tone. She took a breath in, and then let her words ring true._

_ "... __**Don't get yourself captured."**_

___Shikamaru raised a brow, and then nodded __immediately._

_ "It's not going to happen-."_

_ "No, Shikamaru..."_

_ He looked back towards her to see that her eyes were deadly serious._

_ "... Make sure. Make sure that doesn't happen to you."_

_ Before he answered this time, there was a pause. Shikamaru's answer was the same..._

_ "... I wont..."_

_ But now he understood what she meant._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The torture chamber of Sunagakure's prison complex was filled with a stifled scream.

As one of the men that stood beside him slowly pressed the hot poker deeper and deeper into his skin, Shikamaru found it harder and harder to maintain his stony outlook. His teeth began to dig into his bottom lip so harshly that he began to bleed, and his eyes shut so hard that it as causing ripples along his face. Despite having them restrained, he still found himself being able to clutch his fists closed, and he was able to control his body into barely shaking.

Much to the detriment of the man who was holding the poker.

"Give up, _Butcher._"

Another, similar voice from behind him seemed to continue the other man's sentence.

"If you're already like this, and we've barely even started…."

And another voice from his left side finished the threat….

"Then you're not going to make it."

He felt the poker leave his skin, and then Shikamaru felt himself falling forwards, before he was quickly caught by a set of hands. He suddenly began to feel a deep cold on his chest as he was picked up, and then pushed harshly back into his previous, kneeling position. He felt his hands being pulled down by the bitter, freezing chains that dug into his wrists, and once he was full restrained again, he shook whatever grogginess that he had out of his head, and slowly opened his eyes. While the three voices revealed some of the people present in the room, he knew that there was one more person watching him.

And when his eyes slowly opened to see that Gaara was still there, in his Kazekage robes, sitting against a wall on a stool, Shikamaru slowly sighed, and then averted his eyes. He was still there.

With his neck still feeling uncomfortably warm from his earlier pains, he slowly lowered his head until he was looking at the dusty ground beneath him. His "Session" had begun quite some time ago, to the point where he couldn't exactly remember when. As Gaara had said, he had been quickly and suddenly been taken from his room in the morning, before he had even been given any sort of breakfast, blindfolded, and taken up a series of stairs. Eventually,, he had his blindfolds taken off, and he was in the room that he was in now. After being bound tightly to the floor, stripped of everything but his boxers (for humiliation purposes, he was sure), and being hastily introduced to his interrogators, Gaara had arrived to "observe" the session. His main interrogator had told him to answer a series of questions, and when Shikamaru had instantly refused, the anguish had begun.

At the memory, the chained man could feel his breath hitch. He had never been captured before, and even if he had, nothing he could have experienced before now could have prepared him for what he had felt so far. The poker he had felt moments ago was barely a sting compared to earlier. His back was full of wounds due to the whippings from earlier, and there was a host of cleverly placed cuts around his collarbone. Worse still, he could feel that some of these wounds were open, and some of his blood was flowing down the rest of his body, and quietly dripping onto the floor beneath him. All of this was making him very weak, and every ow and then, Shikamaru would nearly fall forwards, in desperation for sleep. It had only taken a few hours for him to get this way.

Gaara had been right, after all. His interrogators _were _eager to make him crack-.

"...I repeat. Tell your troop positions. It's only been a week since you were taken, you can't have forgotten that quickly. Talk."

But he wouldn't crack. Not even if he was dead.

"...Go f-f-fuck yourselves."

Shikamaru cringed at his own voice, feeling shame that he sounded so asthenic in front of the people within the room. He didn't have a lot of time to moan over this, as he quickly felt something hit him in the side of the head, nearly throwing him off his knees. He coughed in response, letting the force take his head to the side, before he turned it and looked up at the man who had hit him.

It was different from the man in front of him who had been speaking before. It was the second interrogator he had met, but he could barely tell the difference between the two of them, let alone the last one who he could feel was situated behind him. Gaara had explained to him that the three were triplets, once quadruplets, before their fourth brother died in the war. All three of them had short, curly black hair and small blue eyes, with thin lips, a thin nose and heavily tanned skin. The only difference between them was that one of the brothers had a single slit in the right side of his hair, another had a scar on his left cheek, and the other had a scar on his right cheek…

The one he had been staring at was the one with the slit in his hair.

Upon noticing that Shikamaru's eyes hadn't strayed, the man gave him another punch, again to the side of his face, and this time Shikamaru found himself being swayed further. The only thing that had prevented him from falling onto the ground was, ironically, the chains he wore on his arms nad legs, which ran out of slack and instead kept him in place. Another punch hit him in the face, and this time Shikamaru found himself having to bite down hard on his lips to prevent himself from crying out. And then again. And then again.

The fifth punch ended up with Shikamaru having to spit out the floor that had accumulated in his mouth. By the sixth punch, he frailty tried to lift a hand to block him, only for that hand to be grabbed. The triplet with the slit in his head then began to grip Shikamaru's hand, causing the man to finally give out a pained scream as he, along with the others around him, heard a sudden and sickly _crack._

After he finished his scream, Shikamaru tried his best to pull his arm away from his captor, before he felt a sudden hit to the back of his head. He fell forwards from the impact, and let out another small yell. His hair slapped against his face, before he felt his hand being freed. He turned his face up, only to receive another hit to the face. He sniffed out harshly before his head fell to his other side, just in time for him to be kicked. He heard the chains beneath him rattle and howl as he did, before he felt the same, blunt instrument be used to hit him in the back of his head. This time, it was hot. Searingly so.

He tried his best to keep his mouth closed, as his beatings shifted from the back, to the right, to the left, but the best he could do was moan silently and try to keep his mouth closed. Soon, it turned out that even that wasn't enough to maintain what little dignity that he had left. The pain he felt was slowly getting more and more unbearable, and as a result, he gripped his fists, and eventually settled on clenching his teeth. Even as blood began to stain both of his anatomy, even as he began to feel his skull ache. Even as the beating continued.

He kept on being tossed back and forth, from one brother to the next. He kept his composure as best he could, and he said no words but quiet, desperate grunts and moans. The only thing keeping him sane being his own, quiet mantra. His own quiet creed. He couldn't let them win now, not like this. Not after ten years, not after thousands of his people dead. Not after all the wasted time. Not after what they did to his wife-.

"That will be enough."

And suddenly, it was all over.

After one final punch to the face, Shikamaru felt himself being pushed back into his kneeling position again, and after waiting to make sure that the beatings wouldn't immediately continue, he slowly opened his eyes. At first, all he could see was white, his vision having been affected by his beatings, but ever so slowly he raised his head forwards, to look in the direction of the sudden order…

Once again, he saw Gaara.

The man was now standing up tall, and his sharp, harsh eyes took a glance over Shikamaru's body. The head of the Nara Clan met this staring with his own practiced glare, trying his best to not give him the impression of being anywhere near defeated. He could only keep the facade up for a short while, before he let off a series of rough, gory coughs, resulting in some of his fluids ending up on his chin, some of it joining his blood on the floor. Gaara on the other hand stood up strong and firm, taking advantage of his new-found height over the man below him. Then, after a few moments passed, he finally lifted his head to address the trio of interrogators that now stood around Shikamaru.

"….That will be enough for today," he said. Shikamaru slowly noticed that the voice he used now was a thousandfold harsher than the one he had used with him just the day before.

"… Take him back to his cell. We've all seen enough of his act today."

There was a pause, before Shikamaru heard whining from behind him.

"Lord Kazekage, he hasn't made any indication that he's even remotely deserving of a rest-."

"You do not think that he is going to crack all in one session, do you?"

Shikamaru slowly raised his head to watch as the Kazekage slowly began to take a few steps closer to him. His course was sunken, and in the newly sensitive ears that Shikamaru held, they sounded louder than they should have. He slowly moved his eyes to both of the brothers that flanked his sides to see that they were now standing up straighter than they had been before, and by the time he had turned his eyes back to the front, he felt a cold sensation on the bottom of his chin.

He looked closer to see that Gaara was holding his chin.

The grip wasn't as harsh as he was expecting, but the longer he held it, the more and more Shikamaru wanted to pull away. He knew what this was, a way for Gaara to get his attention, and a way to show his dominance and control over him as well. _Of course he would do that, _he reasoned with himself, all while keeping himself looking up into Gaara's blank eyes. _He needs to reassure them that he's still in charge. All of this… this is posturing… isn't it? _

"...You and your brothers aren't dealing with some new, Spring Genin," Gaara began. As he spoke, he kept his eyes on Shikamaru.

"You're dealing with the _general of Konohagakure. _He wont tell us what we want from one session."

Shikamaru could feel the grip around his chin increase.

"No… he's hardened. These type of shinobi take… time… to break..." He let his voice fade, and then turned his head up to look at the left scarred brother.

"You would agree, yes?"

Hastily, the man nodded.

"Of course, Lord Kazekage. My brother made a mistake. Wont happen again-."

"Don't apologize. We all make mistakes..."

His eyes slowly drifted back to Shikamaru.

"… Of course… _some _mistakes are worse than others. Some mistakes… cause things that were once in place to be _torn..._"

His eyes turned back to his underling, and it softened.

"But your mistake wasn't anything like that. So don't worry about it…."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Three hundred, three hundred and one, three hundred and two-._

There was a loud sound, and he heard two objects slide across.

_A set of two more doors…_

He felt himself being harshly thrown against the ground, which nearly knocked his concentration. A moment passed, before he felt himself being dragged from his right leg. After a moment, he was dropped back onto the ground, and he felt and heard the cold clasp of chains. A few more footsteps approached his head as he laid face down on the sandy floor, and he then felt the bindings on his hands be cut, before being pulled away. The footsteps then continued towards his face, before the darkness around him was taken away, all with the swift removal of the sack that had been over his head.

And once he could see again, Shikamaru realized that from the last right turn, it was three hundred and two steps to his cell.

Still on his stomach, he moved his hands around to push himself up, and back into a sitting position. His body still ached greatly from the torment he had underwent just a few minutes ago, so he moved slowly, making sure not to have the sand beneath him get into any of his still open wounds. Once he was sitting cross legged in his cell, he looked around to see that the prisoner pants that he had been given were behind him, and once he was strong enough, he would make it a point to put them on. But first, he turned his head around just in time to see that the large, hulking shinobi that had carried him back from the chamber had closed both of the gates to his cell, and was now standing behind his Kazekage.

Shikamaru raised a brow at this. From his own calculations, Gaara had no real reason to have followed him here, back down to the dark and dingy cell he had given him. Unless he had come here to continue to mock him, or try to intimidate him more than he already had. It was clear to him since the day his home had been attacked that the hatred that existed between the two of them was never going to go away. The more he thought upon it, the more Gaara's presence here made sense. On the off chance that Shikamaru escaped, the man would be humiliated forever, in front of the rest of his village and in front of his own conscious. This was, of course, the man who had fooled his sister into betraying him.

The feeling was mutual, as Shikamaru slowly carved his own face into one of anger to match his. Before he could do anything else, however, Gaara's voice radiated towards him.

"...You see now that I wasn't lying on that day, was I? We Sand Shinobi _are _zealous for your demise."

Shikamaru took a shallow breath in, before feeling something stick in his throat. Instinctively, he lurched forwards and began to slam his fist against his own chest. After a few moments, his mouth opened to reveal that he wasn't finished discharging his own blood, and the red fluid ended up partly on his lips, and partly on the ground below him. He found dark humor in his mind once he realized how horrible he might look now, his hair out of it's fashionable ponytail, his chin and lips full of his own blood. His body being riddled with scars. He let out a small, black chuckle, before bringing his hands to cross and cover his bare stomach, and looking back up at the Kazekage.

"You lot have been wanting that since the day this war started. This isn't new."

He could see the light frustration begin to form on Gaara's face, before he himself continued.

"Correct. But when the war started, we didn't have you _here. Now we do."_

Shikamaru wasn't scared in the slightest by Gaara's taunt, but he found himself feeling for the words that next fell out of his mouth.

"… I gave you a chance too, to avoid all of this. I gave you a chance that I would have never given anyone else. Any other man or woman in this world would've declared me their _G__od _for my offering, and yet you still refused me..."

Shikamaru could feel his jaw ache, and one of his hands slowly went up to the right side of it and began to rub it slowly as he thought back to his actions the previous day. He had. His look of hatred slowly morphed into one of sadness.

"… You don't need to remind me. And even if you offer it again, the answer still is no-."

"Even aft-."

"Even after today," Shikamaru said, feeling his chest swell. "Do… do whatever you will do my body. And I repeat, I'd never endanger my Clan and Village just to save my own skin."

Gaara narrowed his eyes at his captive, and then took a deep breath. Shikamaru could tell that, despite the early time in the day, he was tired. But it wasn't due to the time, or any normal exhaustion.

"… I see. I wasn't offering it to you again _anyways. _You had your chance." He watched as the red haired man turned, and the shinobi that had been flanking him joined him.

"… You've made your bed… now lay in it."

The moment that Gaara and his entourage had left his area, Shikamaru slowly moved himself to one of the walls of his cell and then leaned up against it. He slowly ran his hands over his swollen jaw, his cut collarbone, and his new scars, and then took a deep breath in. He wiped whatever wet blood that was on his lips off, and then nodded to himself.

If this was his condition after only one round of interrogation, then it wasn't likely that he would survive in Sunagakure for very long. He needed to find a way to escape, and he needed to do so as soon as possible.

_….__Three hundred and two steps from the last right turn to my cell…_

He closed his eyes in meditation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mirai Sarutobi shook her head slowly.

"...Get out."

Choji Akimichi shook his head, and then his features took on an even darker tone.

"… You were going to find out either way. I felt it was best that I told you."

Mirai placed both of her hands into fists, and then shook her head slowly again.

"… Get out..."

"...The forensic core has his body now. Nar- The Hokage… he doesn't want to stage a funeral yet. He says it's… too early-."

"Damn right it is!" She spat. Choji looked back towards her to see that her mood had soured nearly instantly. The man could only look away from her in shame.

"How… first Temari… now him… were they _targeted _or something?!"

"I… I don't know-."

"And how… how does a man go _**MISSING **_like that? How can he-."

"Mirai… keep it down, will ya? Some kids here need to head to school in the morning."

The moment he heard his voice, Choji felt all of the color drain from his face. Mirai too, dreaded to turn around and see who had just ordered her around. Any other time she would have been glad to see him…

But when she turned and saw Shikadai standing in the hallway, his pajamas on, and his face looking bored as usual, she began to hate her _big mouth._

It was late, and it had been around a week since Shikamaru had left on his last mission. At every other event, the Nara household wouldn't have any visitors this late, but Shikamaru had left special instructions for Mirai to watch over his son while he was gone. She had spent the week with the child, and was now heading home back to her own family. Her mother as getting older, after all, and she wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

Of course, Choji's surprise visit had thrown a wrench into this. And the news that he had brought with him was even more disruptive.

She took a gulp, and then tried to hide the emotions she had just shown. The larger man began to shake from his position on the outside porch, and silently took a step backwards. Ino had given him instructions specifically to _not _run into Shikadai. The boy was smart, in her reasoning. If he saw that Ino and Choji were back, but his father was-.

"...Uncle Choji? That you?"

Choji's face tensed, and he took a deep gulp. The boy slowly moved himself beside Mirai, giving himself a good look at the large man who was standing on his porch. Mirai tried to get in the way of his vision at first, before the boy moved his way past her. There was nothing in between Choji and him now.

Choji would have to make the best of a worst-case scenario situation.

"… What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just trying to sleep with a certain adult being _**LOUD, **_that's all."

Choji could only smirk, while Mirai's eyes softened on the boy. Not because of who or what he was, but because of what he was about to… _sigh._

_ ...You'll be alright, kiddo. You've still got me, Mirai and Ino, right? We're still here for you. We'll watch over you for you-._

"Anyways, what's going on with you, Choji? Had a great mission?"

Choji nodded motionlessly, and kept his eyes as soft and welcoming as possible. He had to make the news as easy for the boy to accept as he could.

"… I did. It was.. successful. It went off without a hitch."

"Great to hear." He could tell he was being genuine, but the time of night was clearly affecting his voice. He then blinked, and looked around Choji, trying to see if anyone was behind him. Once he was sure that this was not the case..

"...So where's Auntie Ino? And…. Where's my Dad? He's back now, right?"

Mirai looked at Choji with dark eyes. Choji looked back at Shikadai, and then took a deep breath. He had to get it over with. He had to tell the boy. Even if it ruined his life.

_He's still got us..._

"...He had to stay back for a bit longer. The Hokage gave him an important diversion, so we had to split up. He's fine though. He'll be back soon, it'll just be a little longer."

Mirai looked back towards Choji, and narrowed her eyes. Shikadai, on the other hand, looked disappointed.

Anything was better than him crying.

"...Oh. I see. Well… I guess a few more weeks?"

"Make that _months. _Sorry, but give him at least two months to finish things up. He'll have much , much more time to spend with you when he gets bac-."

"Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard it all before. Goodnight, Uncle Choji. See ya Mirai."

The boy quickly turned himself around and moved to head back inside. The steps he made were ones that implied that he was angry, but at least he wasn't angry because of the wrong thing. Choji was a horrible liar, but luckily for him, he had been able to convince Shikadai.

Mirai, on the other hand…

"...You lied instead of telling hi-."

"It's what Naruto told us to say," he said, not bothering to use the man's official title. "He… not even he wants to admit that Shikamaru is probably dea-"

"He's going to find out eventually," Mirai spat. "And then what are you going to do? He'll lose all respect for you, and it's all because you lied-."

"Ok Ok! I did I did!"

Choji held up his hands in front of his face, and his eyes began to turn a shade of red.

"I got it! You… you don't need to remind me, alright? I know I lied to him. I lied to him, I lied to his father, I can't be straight with anyone now! I'm a dirty, freaking liar, okay!? I hate this damn war!"

Choji's harsh voice did a great job of communicating his self-frustration without making much of a loud sound. Mirai tried to speak up, but he cut her off immediately.

"I can't tell Shikamaru that we have his man, I can't tell Shikadai that his father's dead. I can-."

"What did you say before?"

Choji's eyes focused on Mirai once again, and he paused.

"...What do you mean that "We have his man?". "What did you mean by that?""

Choji blinked, before realizing what he had just lead onto.

"… Wha-."

"Don't lie to _me _, Choji. What do you mean "We have his Man?" What man are you talking about? And how can we still have someone that Shikamaru wanted without him knowing about it-."

"Ask Ino-."

"I'm not asking Ino, Choji, I'm asking _you. _Spill already-."

"_**FINE! **_Kankuro! We have Kankuro!"

Mirai paused once again.

Before she quickly moved past Choji, and hoped that her new found anger would help replace her mourning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_ Like I said, it's a really short and rushed chapter. Especially the last part. I'm having a lot of trouble writing this, but I promise that the next chapter should be better. Anyways, THANK YOU ALL for reading this, and if you can leave a review that would be great as well. See you in 7-10 days!_


	35. Sacred

_AN: Okay, I can now promise you that this chapter is going to be very, very good. You'll all see why in a while._

_I finally have a little time to write, but like I said earlier, I'm back at school, and I'm planning on beginning to volunteer, or get a job. When these things happen... yeah. I'll try to uphold my "10 days or bust" rule, but it might need to expand to 2.5 weeks or bust. I'll try and I am trying to get chapters out as fast as I can._

_Anyways, this chapter is going to be a bit fun for Kankuro fans once again. The story's going to pick up in the next few chapters too. Either way, enjoy the story._

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Kankuro was sitting deathly still on his stool. His eyes were closed, his head as hung down into his chest, and his legs were slightly apart, his hangs having been curled into fists that rested on his knees. For a long moment he was simply quiet, not making any sort of noise, not moving an inch, and simply staying still, as if he was a statue. As if he was dead.

But all of that changed the moment he heard a scream from the room next to him.

Ino watched as his face tensed up, and his fists got even tighter. She had been in this memory for a short while now, and so didn't have much context to what was going on. Her viewing had started and so far was nothing but Kankuro sitting on the stool in duress. Every now and then his eyes would open and move towards the door beside him, and he would stay staring at it for a small while, before returning to his silent despair. She hadn't seen anyone else in the memory yet, nor had she seen anything particular that was especially useful to her current plight, yet she found herself invested in what was happening in the memory nevertheless. It was, after all, still a bit too early to judge if what she was seeing was going to bring her anymore information. And with Shikamaru's death, Konohagakure would need any information they could get.

Finally, something in the memory changed. The door that Kankuro's eyes had previously been focused on had opened suddenly, and both Ino and The Captive's eyes raised to look in the same direction. There was a medical nin standing in the doorway now, and the moment he saw that he was being watched, he moved himself so that he was standing in front of him. There was a small pause, as Kankuro's eyes looked up at the man with a barely contained air of worry. The medical nin slowly brought up a clipboard in front of him, but kpt the look on his face, serious and grim.

"...Lord Kankuro."

The man seated in the chair in front of him was clenching his hands again, as his face slowly curved into his own, unwelcoming stare.

"...Yes?"

There was another pause, before the Medical nin let himself break it with him lowering his clip board, and looking at Kankuro with soft eyes.

"… She's going to be fine."

Ino watched as Kankuro's eyes subtly lit up. Taking a deep breath in, he suddenly felt more at ease with the situation, and his stance on the chair began to reflect that. No longer did he slouch over as he sat on the stool, and ever so slowly he stood himself up more. When he breathed out, it exited his body as a deep, yet grateful, sigh.

"She's going to be fine..." He repeated, muttering in utter belief. However, the medical nin in front of him kept his face stony and hard.

"It was hard work to stabilize her," the standing man began, before his eyes drifted to the pad he held in front of him. "Whatever wounds she sustained from the mission will have her bedridden for at least a month, if not more. Even when she can walk, it'll be another few months before she should be able to report back to work, let alone go off on any serious missions." There was a pause before he spoke again.

"I apologize that we couldn't do more-."

"It's fine."

Ino watched as the man's face slowly relaxed, and his eyes turned to Kankuro. By now, the puppeteer was leaned over in a more relaxed stance, a hand on his knee and his back slouched.

"...The important thing is that she'll live..." A moment later, he quietly gripped his fist.

"At least two out of three survived..."

The room was silent for a few moments, as Ino began to try and piece the date and time together. It was possible that the memory in front of her was a continuation of the memory she had seen before, of Kankuro's encounter with Kiba. There were a few clues to this being the case, with Kankuro's demeanor being the same as it had back then, worried, almost beyond the normal amount that a squad leader would be worried for the rest of his teammates.

Ino found herself pausing at this small detail, before the two men in front of her continued their conversation.

"She's awake if you need to speak to her," the medical nin continued, his voice kinder than before. "She can talk to you for a little while. Afterward, however, she'll need plenty of rest."

Kankuro slowly pushed himself up from the stool he stood on, and then turned his eyes in the direction of the room that she was in. He hesitated for a few moments, before he stood up from his seat.

"I'll do that then," he said, lightly dusting his coat. "When you leave, give a message to the Puppet Core, will you? A notice that we've returned."

The medical nin nodded, and Kankuro quickly began to stride towards the door. Still trying to find meaning to the memory she was trapped in, she moved herself after him, walking behind him as he entered into a new room.

This room was smaller than the other one they had been in, and simply consisted of a cot situated next to a wall, a small window, another stool next to the cot, and a series of machines. However, a few steps in and Ino found the true point of interest.

As Kankuro stepped closer to the cot, she noticed that the woman lying there was the same woman she had seen in the memory with Kiba.

_Shiori… was it?_

As a medical ninja herself, Ino couldn't help but marvel and critique Sunagakure's medical system.She was wrapped under the blankets in her cot quite snugly from what she could see, and her head was resting calmly on the pillow behind her. As Kankuro began to walk closer to her body, Ino noted that the right side of the woman's face was still covered in bandages, but that these ones were a clean and white colour. Her skin was slightly dry looking, and her hair had been taken out of it's previous tie, and instead now aided the pillow in cushioning and positioning her head properly on the pillow. This support seemed to be needed, her body was still frail from the last time Ino had seen her, and she looked like she would break if she stood up. After a few moments of her eyes being unfocused and low, Ino watched as they finally looked on Kankuro, who, by now, was sitting at her bedside, hunched over on the stool.

"...B...B...Boss… I'm… I'm sorry for-."

"All that matters is that you're alive."

Kankuro's previously relieved face took a sudden dour turn, as his eyes traveled over what was visible of her body. Once his eyes landed on her bandaged face, they left her, and instead found their focus behind his eyelids as he closed them. Shiori looked at him with a confused gaze for a moment, before taking a deep breath in.

"...I...I...I'm sorry we lost-."

"Goro… died a good death, but there's nothing that you… we can do about it while you're here.." He blinked slowly, and then let his eyes trace over her body, taking in her wounds.

"...How do you feel?"

Shiori tried to speak, but found her throat being dry. She took a moment to lick her lips wet and swallow spit, before catching Kankuro's eyes again, and letting out a small chortle.

"Like shit."

Kankuro let himself smile, before Shiori began to wheeze instead of laugh. Her hands went to her chest immediately so she could push down onto it, and almost instinctively Kankuro's hands moved to do the same, positioning himself to make sure that he wasn't touching anywhere uncomfortable for her. As she wheezed, she pushed down on her chest, and he quickly followed her example, repeating the process over and over until she gave out a strong cough to signify that she was better. Once she did this, Kankuro looked up into her eyes again.

"Better?"

Shiori nodded, before slowly trailing her eyes down his body to see that his hands were on top of hers, on her chest. Kankuro followed her eyes before noticing this as well, and once caught, he removed his hands from her body immediately, his cheeks turning a flush red, stammering out a weak response.

"… Sorry about that."

_Are you serious? _Ino said, her face slowly moving into a smirk. _Well, this puts things into perspective, doesn't it. _She suddenly began to understand why this particular memory was an important one for him.

Shiori, on the other hand, still seemed to be unaware of Kankuro's probable feelings. She shrugged in her bed, and then removed her hands from her chest, placing them back underneath the blankets.

"It's fine. You were just… trying to help… after all..."

She sunk her head into the pillows behind her, and Kankuro leaned himself back into his stool, acting as if his previous infraction had never happened. Ino, on the other hand, simply leaned herself against the wall beside her, continuing her guilty smirk.

"…How long am I going to be stuck here, anyway…?" Shiori asked, her eyes looking up to the ceiling above her. Kankuro cleared his throat.

"The medical nin outside said you'd be down for at least a month, and not able to report back for at least a few more, not including being able to go on missions-."

"Ugh, bullshit."

"It's not. You got really fucked up out there, and our medical nin aren't amateurs. If they say you need to stay here, then you need to stay he-."

"I'm not _that fucked, _Boss. Give me a month and I'll be walking _and _reporting to work-."

"But you'll be weak and irritated-."

"Still better than just being a useless body. They didn't assign me as your second just so I could get messed up once and leave you vulnerable-."

"You're not leaving me vulnerable-."

"I could be. Who else at the core's going to replace me for those months? I could be down half a year-."

"I'll find someone else to replace you." Before Shiori could speak again, Kankuro gripped his fist.

"Stop protesting and squirming. I _wont let you _join back up with us until you're well enough to. And that's final."

Kankuro's voice had come off as unnecessarily harsh to Ino, but Shiori didn't seem to mind. Her eyes left the ceiling above her, and her eyes rested on her superior for a few moments, before placed her lips into a mocking smile again.

"...You really think you can find someone to replace me, huh?"

Kankuro shook his head, and his lips responded to her smile.

"Not at all. You're one of a kind. Of course…"

Kankuro leaned back into his stool.

"I suppose your replacement will be better than you in some ways..."

Shiori raised her one visible eyebrow.

"How?"

"Well for one, my new partner might actually listen to me from time to time."

"Hey, I listen to you enough-."

"Which is why you're lying in bed right now, right?"

"Pfft. Well, you should listen to your own advice. I saw you out there. You nearly fought yourself into a coma."

Kankuro let out a chuckle.

"Well, I'm allowed to do that. You, on the other hand, aren't."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because you're spe- my second." His voice stuttered for a moment, as he tried to talk over his mistake.

"If anything happens to me, you're the one they're going to rely on. You're the one they're going to start looking up to, more than they already do now. And when they're all staring at you like that, you've got to be able to receive and help them..."

He then gestured to her wounds.

"...You can't be in bed. So seriously, next time try to keep yourself safe. F-."

Before he said anything else, he bit his tongue instinctively. Ino could almost feel the tension in his heart, and almost began to feel bad for the man. There was a chance that things might have changed over time, since this was a memory after all, but the man was such a git that it was likely that nothing had changed. For all she knew, while he was under her care, this Shiori was still at home waiting for him.

Shiori shook her head slowly, and Ino found her thoughts being redirected back into the present day of the memory.

"… No can do, boss."

Both Ino and Kankuro raised a brow before she spoke again. She struggled to make her voice clear, even as bandages struggled to restrict hr voice on one side of her face.

"Listen… you know I'm not the type of person to just… sit back and safe my own ass while a house burns down. Or the one who goes home when there's still work to be done because I'm tired.-"

"Doesn't matter-."

"Actually, it damn well does. Boss, I know what you're talking about, but… how the hell are you expecting me to just stay back and _not help _the next time we do something like this?"

"W-."

"Especially when _my teammates _are in danger. That's against my code-."

"Shiori everyone has to break their own morals every once in a while-."

"That doesn't sound like something _you'd _say, Kankuro."

Kankuro paused, and then narrowed his eyes.

"...I'm saying it, aren't I-."

"Those very same rules don't seem to apply to you-." 

"Well I'm a hypocrite then. I don't care. Like I said, keep yourself _safe _the next time we're out there."

"And like I said, no can do-."

"It's not a request anymore then. It's an _order."_

Shiori nearly jumped in her bed. Kankuro's voice had gotten to the deep octaves that she seldom heard, and seldom wanted to hear. His face had morphed into a stony look, and she was left staring at it's statue. His eyes stayed harsh on her, until enough time passed for him to realize how he looked towards her. Once he realized this, he softened himself up, and took a gulp.

"...Sorry," he muttered. Ino found herself smug at how different Kankuro was acting compared to his usual self. In front of her, he had acted like a typical braggart, cold and heartless, just like his legend. But in front of this woman, he was genuinely kind, only getting harsh when the mtters were serious.

She could nearly choke on it.

"… I just don't need to lose anymore of the core," he rationalized. "We're… already stretched thin as it is. And… you're a good comrade, Shiori. It'd be a disservice to lose you too."

The moment that Kankuro finished speaking, there was a series of loud knocking at the door that he had walked through minutes ago. Kankuro turned his head towards it, as did Ino, before he heard a voice come through it.

"Lord Kankuro! There's an emergency!"

Kankuro took a deep breath, and then looked back towards Shiori. She had relaxed herself against the cot again, and was now focusing on getting used to breathing behind her bandages. When he answered the man at the door, ti was clear that he wasn't amused.

"What is it? And is it really urgent?"

"Of course, Lord Kankuro! There's been an attack!"

At this, Kankuro's eyes widened.

"What?! When!? Where?"

The man behind the door stopped speaking, and both Kankuro and Shiori's eyes began to take on concerned looks. The way the man had spoken was implying that whatever he had been talking about was of great importance, yet the communication had stopped too suddenly for him to explain more. This wasn't a good sign in the slightest.

Kankuro tried again.

"Shinobi!? Answer me-."

Before he could even finish, he had his answer.

"They… they..."

"What?!"

"...They've attacked the Academy. The… shinobi academy."

And the moment that he got his answer, Kankuro began to wish that he had never asked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He hadn't expected it to be this bad.

The entire area around the academy had been evacuated, and the only people within the actual building were adult shinobi. As he rushed himself through the halls of his childhood grounds, he found himself becoming more and more irate by the moment. Ino could see it clearly on his face, by the time he had entered the main hallway, his face had turned into a complete scowl. He moved quickly as well, even in the memory she found it hard to keep up with him. But, she could see why he could be this way.

The inside of the school was a mess.

Ino herself had never been to the shinobi academy in Sunagakure before, but before the war began, she could remember how much Temari used to brag about it. It consisted of a series of short, yet large buildings, surrounded by a walled perimeter and a small courtyard. She went on and on about the amount of students at the academy as well, bragging about the strength and perseverance of each of the students that attended. "Fighting is all we Sand people really know about," she once told her, her voice as smug as it ever could have been. "Of course, even from an early age we're not something to be taken lightly. Everyone who was ever in or is in that academy… they're the world's best shinobi… rivaled only by yours." 

But seeing the state that the school was in now… she knew that it would be a long time before things would ever be the way that they were before.

The hallways of the nearly empty school were eerie, and Kankuro's heavy steps only added to the it's haunting allure. From what she could view, the floors were drenched over with sweat and unidentified fluids, the windows were stained a shade of red, and the area around them occasionally revealed a scratch or dent. Every now and then Kankuro would turn into a room for a moment, usually breaking open the door, to find a classroom in disarray. Chairs were toppled over. Desks were thrown to the wall. Chalkboards were scratched into.

And the more and more classrooms that Kankuro saw like this, the angrier and angrier he became.

Despite being told that this had happened, Kankuro was nonetheless able to spend a great amount of time in the school by his lonesome. Every now and then he'd run into a forensics team that was inspecting a particular part of the school, a specific classroom, or a stray child that hadn't been found by his or her parents yet, but for the most part he was free to inspect the damage done to the school by himself. And so he did, continuing his look through the near ruins.

Finally, he came upon a particularly tough door to open. Kankuro spent a while simply pushing against it, as he had done with all of the other doors before, until he found that he needed to put a much, much stronger amount of force into the door to get it open. After a few loud hits, he succeeded in pushing the door open, and took steps in to see…

A leaf shinobi. Ino found herself to be dumbfounded.

The man had a cloth over his face to protect his identity, but other than that he looked like a typical leaf shinobi, flak jacket and all. The classroom that he had been found in was smaller compared to the other ones as well, this one lacking a chalkboard and only possessing a single window. Kankuro felt as if stepping into the room itself would make it too crowded for him, but he did the act anyways. Because at the other end of the room, huddled together against a wall…

Was a class of gagged and bound children.

Ino felt sick to her stomach immediately, but surprisingly, I was not due to Kankuro's actions. The moment that the man saw the hostage children, he had been able to put two and two together, and had rushed forwards to impulsively tackle the leaf shinobi into a nearby wall. Instead, she found herself trying to understand how a situation such as this could even come to pass. For a leaf shinobi to even be in Sunagakure, they had to have been ordered by _someone _in Konohagakure's high command. And she _could not _bring herself to believe that any of the higher powers of Konohagakure could have ordered this. Especially not when Temari had _always _been involved with missions involving Sunagakure. There was no way that she could let this through.

But of course, what she thought didn't matter at the moment. As she watched the leaf shinobi slip out of Kankuro's attack and make a dash towards the window, she could hear some of the children in the corner squirm with discomfort. After seeing the man try to make a run for it, Kankuro let out a growl, before taking out a scroll and wordlessly summoning Crow. He threw it towards the man immediately, but his moves were frantic and unstable, meaning that Crow missed it's mark. The other leaf shinobi took this chance to try and rush past Kankuro, heading towards the only window and his only avenue of escape. Kankuro recoiled quickly, twisting his fingers to send the Crow in the new direction.

From the look in his eyes, Ino could tell that Kankuro was not in a right state of mind. His actions were frantic, for one, and he had been strangely quiet during the entire school visit. Usually, even in the midst of battle, the man was a type of chatterbox, at the very least yelling at screaming at his enemy. But now, he was quiet and focused, his eyes snapping to where the leaf shinobi was instantly, and when Crow missed it's mark again, he quickly snapped his fingers to throw the puppet towards the leaf ninja again. This time, there was a loud and audible crackling sound. The puppet finally hit it's mark, and the man watched with a hidden glee when his puppet constricted the other in it's binds, wrapping it's jagged edges all around the man's body. Despite the obvious pain that the man had to be feeling at the moment, he didn't scream. Instead, from the distance between them, he simply raised his eyes and shaped them in defiance towards the puppet master.

Kankuro walked until he was closer to the man who was now on the ground, making sure that his steps were loud and dramatic, in some attempt to scare the man below him. The moment he was close enough to spit on him, he took a breath in.

"...Why are you here?!" He asked. His voice was loud, and the small classroom only amplified his yell. Ino turned her eyes to the children in the corner to see that some of them were wincing from the sound. She turned her head back to the man on the ground to see that he wasn't co-operating with the puppet master at all, instead keeping his tongue tied. This was getting on his nerves.

He flicked his fingers to cause Crow to increase his grip. There was a deep scream associated with it, and Kankuro spoke again.

"Come on! Say it! What the hell are you doing here?!"

He grit his teeth.

"And what do the kids have to do with anything, you fucking monst-."

Before he could even finish his sentence, he heard the familiar sound of smoke. He blinked, and then looked down at Crow to see that the man was gone. Before he could ponder where he had gone off too, he received his answer in squeals.

He turned his head around to see that the very same shinobi that had once been in his grasp was now over in the same corner that the children were in, walking around them slowly. The elder sand brother raised his hands instantly to summon Crow to move in front of him, his eyes in a deadly focus, before the leaf shinobi reached into his pocket to take out a kunai, and then held it just above the head of one of the bound children. Only then did Kankuro stop in his tracks.

Ino narrowed her eyes at the man. _Sick, _she thought, but still kept her eyes firm on the situation at hand.

"…. Surrender yourself, Kankuro," the leaf shinobi commanded. "Or else I'll be taking these children instead of _you_."

_So it was an attempt to capture Kankuro… _Ino could see someone at Konoha command ordering something like _this _, but the methods that the man were using were horrible at best, and horrific at worse. They had laws and codes. The only children that could even be harmed during the war had to at least be genin, and even Genin were forbidden to be killed.

This man was rushing over the guidelines that his own Hokage had given him on his own promotion to field-shinobi. By all means, he could and would be court martial-ed once he returned home…

"Surre-."

Fortunately, or unfortunately, he wasn't returning home.

Before the man could even finish his sentence, Kankuro had thrown the Crow at him, sending the puppet towards him. It looked like a normal toss, perhaps in the eyes of an amateur, but Ino could notice that, ever so faintly, the blue chakra strings that he wielded had turned a darker hue, and were a lot thicker now. This caused the puppet to move at an accelerated pace, rushing towards the man quickly, and hitting him before he could properly react…

Stabbing him in the gut.

The man lost balance immediately, and Kankuro snapped his fingers again to bring one of Crow's pincers towards the man's face, shoving it through his neck. The man was clearly dead now by any stretch of one's imagination, and to make sure, Kankuro removed Crow from his body, to let it fall onto the ground in front of him.

Quickly, Kankuro made his way to the man he had just killed, and spent a few moments simply looking down on him with dead, cold eyes. There was a good, solid stream of blood that was flowing from the man's mouth now, and the area around where he had landed was beginning to pool with it. He spent a moment standing there, and Ino tried to get a better idea of his emotions at the current time. His eyes were slowly getting red, making sense with him staying up so long to look after Shiori, and his stance slowly slouched. Eventually, he moved his eyes up to look elsewhere…

And found himself looking at the group of children that he had just saved. Their eyes were on him, and more importantly, the blood he had spilt.

It was his turn to feel sick to his own stomach. All of them were looking at him, watching him with small, beady eyes, and unable to make a sound. He had just did his dirty work right in front of them.

And visibly, he felt guilty about that.

He took a breath in, before slowly dispelling the chakra strings around Crow, and his face slowly turned into a regretful one. There was a great amount of tiredness in his eyes, as he slowly placed his hands by his sides once again.

"… Sorry kids…. But this is war..."

Ino took a breath in and nodded.

_Damn right it is now._

Kankuro took a step towards the child seated at the front, before he began to hear a weird, clicking noise coming from within the area. Confused and a little dumbfounded, he followed the sound of the clicking back to the dead man on the ground, the one situated near crow. It took him only a few moments to hypothesize what had gone wrong.

And once he opened the man's flack jacket to see that a bomb had been strapped to him, he immediately realized the true meaning of the man's mission. It wasn't to kill children, and it wasn't to capture him.

It was to lure him and then kill him.

When the clock reached zero, he rushed towards the children to try and shield them from the incoming blast.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino could feel her chakra running out.

The memory had went black as Kankuro's conscious had, and it had been a few minutes before she had been able to redirect herself into the last piece of the recollection.

Now, Kankuro was lying in a hospital bed, and a quick glance to the right side of him revealed that he had been placed into the same room as Shiori. His wounds and bandages were fresh, covering his entire face, save for his mouth and the area around his eyes. They were red, and he found himself out of breath for the entire time.

But, eventually he found the strength to roll himself slightly to look at Shiori sleeping beside him. And then…

"...I need to… become better..." he spat.

"...Sunagakure should never be this… threatened..."

And then, Ino's vision ended.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Twenty three… twenty… four…._

Shikamaru took a deep breath in and accepted more of the pain.

_Thirty nine,… no… twenty five twenty six…._

"Harder! He'll speak"

_No I won- focus. Twenty seven…. Twenty eight..._

He felt something else hit his chest like a torrent.

"TALK!"

But still, he wouldn't let himself talk. Not now, not ever-.

"GAAAAAAGH!"

He wouldn't give anything up.

"Keep on playing this "tough guy" game. You'll _die _a tough guy…."

All he knew was that…

"Bring it closer."

He needed to escape.

"Here you are."

He needed to see Shikadai again.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

And he needed to make _them _pay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_I apologise for the extremely late chapter, but school's making it extremely hard to even write chapters, let alone get them out on time. I'm trying my absolute hardest but it looks like I'm going to have to extend it to 2.5 weeks at the absolute latest for new chapters. I'm extremely sorry that this happened, but next chapter I can promise you a lot more Shikamaru, and it's not what you think. Once again, thank you for reading, and please R and R if you can. They really inspire me to keep on writing, and any type of criticism is welcome._


	36. Ultimatum

_AN: A lot of people will probably like this chapter. It deals alot with Shikamaru and Shikadai especially, but there are also a few parts that include Temari and Mirai as well. _

_I should also mention that I'm sorry for being so late on the new chapter. I'm going through a lot of tests and examinations right now, so I literally forgot when my update date was supposed to be. I'll try not to let it happen again. Thank you very much for your patience, and you don't have to worry. I fully intend to finish this story, and I'm working on trying to have it done by next Summer, but as I said we'll see. The only time I delay chapters is to make sure that the quality is good._

_Once again, **I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Day three, upside down. It took me six... seven... six minutes to return to my cell. Outside, the sky looked cloudy..._

_ Day four, headache. It took me nine minutes to return to my cell. The steps changed, it's seven hundred and fifty nine steps to my cell. I couldn't get a glimpse of outside._

_ Day five, I think they broke my right femur. Doesn't matter, it'll heal after a while. It took me eight minutes to get back to my cell. The steps were slightly different now, seven hundred and sixty. _

Shikamaru took a deep breath in, and then slowly exhaled. There it was, the pain in his chest had returned. But despite all of this, he still kept himself quiet. He kept himself calm. He flattened himself out on the ground beneath him, and he continued to recollect.

_Day six... I think they broke something else. That might be why my chest hurts. Ino always said that torso pains were worse than broken legs. It took me ten minutes to get back to my cell. It took…. seven hundred and fifty nine steps to get back to my cell. _

_ Day seven… I couldn't feel what they broke, if they broke anything. Ah well. Eight minutes to get back to my cell. Seven hundred and fifty eight steps._

He heard a series of footsteps approach his cell, and Shikamaru took in another breath. He didn't want to open his eyes, but he knew that he would eventually be forced to if whatever was happening turned out to be important.

The footsteps continued to increase in volume, but unlike every other time he had been taken from his cell, Shikamaru could only detect only one pair of them. But, oddly, he couldn't be arsed to care about who the mysterious visitor was…

_… __Day eight. I go back to my cell with bruising around my eyes. I'm warned that next time will be different, and if I don't begin to talk they'll begin to give me more permanent scars. I could care less. Six minutes to return to my cell, seven hundred and thirty nine steps-._

"Your 'tough guy' attitude wont get you anywhere but the _grave_, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru growled weakly in irritation. The voice, and likely the steps, belonged to the Fifth Kazekage, and the words were similar to the ones that he had been taunting him with ever since he had been brought here. The same words. The same negativity. The same doubting and the same put downs.

_...__Day nine. The bruising around my eyes gets worse, and I feel as if they're going to take it too far. I can't care about that, however. The moment I was taken in was the moment I died. Seven minutes to return to my cell, seven hundred and fifty steps._

"I know you can hear me, Shikamaru."

The head of the Nara clan sighed softly, before slowly opening his eyes, and then turning his head towards the bars of his cell. His health was causing his vision to have an unnatural, blood-red tint, and his lack of energy made it so he barely was able to open his eyes in the first place. But he was able to see what he needed to, the giant glass and iron bars, the plate of bread that he hadn't eaten yet, and Gaara standing on the other side of of his cage, in his Kage robes. Looking regal as a king whilst Shikamaru laid as a peasant on the ground.

Once their eyes met, Gaara narrowed his eyes.

"It's been barely a month and you're already like this. How much more can you take, then?"

Shikamaru coughed, and then slowly moved his eyes away from the man, and instead decided to focus on the ceilings above him. Gaara didn't deserve his answers, he didn't even deserve to be in the same room as him. He didn't even deserve to be _alive._

"...Ignore me all you want. But you know and I know that you can only take so much of this."

"...And?" 

Gaara raised a brow, and then looked towards Shikamaru's form on the ground. The man had this mouth hung open now, finding it too much effort to properly close it after his one-word sentence. Other than his mouth, the rest of his face was sickly, the area around his eyes were a ruddy red, and his chin was an unusual yellow. His hair hung over his face and fell a bit into his open mouth, but if Shikamaru was bothered by this he didn't show it. He didn't show any emotion, but a blank face.

Gaara waited for Shikamaru to continue, and when he didn't, his brow returned to it's normal position, and he continued.

"… And when you've reached your limit… you'll die-."

"I'm not… scared of..."

Shikamaru began to cough harshly, all while Gaara kept his eyes set on him. When he was done, he slowly and finally began to move himself, pushing himself onto his side, and balancing himself on his right arm. His hair shifted so that it hung over his face, but Gaara could still see that he was looking at him.

"...I'm not scared of dying."

"You keep on saying that, but we both know-."

"No… I know… You… don't know. You don't know a _damn_ thing."

Shikamaru then moved himself to lie on his stomach, and then finally attended to his stray hair, taking it out of his face and away from his eyes. He sucked in a quick breath, before feeling the pain in his chest return. He visibly cringed, sucking in a breath.

"You're an idiot," Gaara spat. "We've interrogated men like you before. They spend most of their time here resisting and acting brave, taking in all the pain we give them." He paused.

"They all end up the same way. They reach a breaking point, and that's when everything comes out. That's when every little secret, every conservation, every little detail comes out, all in an attempt to save their lives. You'll be no different."

He spat onto the ground in front of the cell. Shikamaru's eyes slowly narrowed, although it wasn't clear if he did so in emotion or in weakness.

"Keep believing that. You know I'd sooner die than betray my… vill- AGH"

He collapsed entirely onto the floor, and his eyes shut in pain. While he writhed on the ground in front of him, Gaara simply watched, taking in the scene in front of him. Shikamaru struggled to even turn himself over, trying desperately to find his balance again, his arms and legs shook, and his hair soon fell back into the front of his face. Finally, finding the ground again, he reached into himself to push himself over again until he was on his back, and then sighed deeply and loudly to celebrate his achievement. As the pain in his chest began to subside, Gaara found himself speaking more.

"_You'll be no different."_

Shikamaru didn't bother to respond to him, and instead simply focused his eyes on the wall above him. Gaara had done this before, gloated towards him after a torture session, and at this point he had gotten used to it. He didn't let it bother him, he couldn't. He couldn't let any of it get to him.

He felt an ache in his right leg, and then sighed. Speaking of sessions… he hadn't had his today yet. He mused on Gaara being part of his "welcoming" committee, perhaps all of this was just another form of intimidation. Over time, however, he found himself being used to this. This hadn't been the first time he had gloated to him, and it wouldn't be the last.

However, instead of continuing his conversation, Shikamaru instinctively raised his eyebrows as he heard Gaara's footsteps move away from his cell. Refocusing his eyes, he watched as the red haired man turned to leave the area, slowly walking up the steps that led out of the dungeon that he was kept in. Once he was gone, Shikamaru let out a loud and dramatic sigh.

He wasn't out of deadly waters yet, but the fact that Gaara was gone now gave him a valuable chance to rest himself, and to continue his thoughts…

_Day… eleven. Day ten I was given a break. Day eleven it takes me, no, them eight hundred steps back to my cell. They had to be extra careful with me that day. I had a head injury, after all…_

_ Day twelve. Typical session, full of taunting and goading. "You'll die here if you don't speak up." I haven't spoken once. I've screamed a bit, though. Seven hundred steps back to my __cel-._

And then suddenly, Shikamaru felt a bit of water fall onto his face.

He blinked, and then slowly brought a hand up to his right cheek, which was now wet. Afterward, his eyes slowly moved from his cheek back towards the wall above him…

In time for him to see that there was a leak.

If he had been strong enough, he would've pushed himself off of the ground and stood up to get a closer look. The ceiling was already low enough as it was, but the inclusion of the dripping water was now making his position unbearable. And, he couldn't help but let himself feel a little slighted. The man was a notorious war criminal in this country, yet they placed him in a cell that was vulnerable to leaks.

He felt another drop of water fall onto his face, and growled.

_I guess this is one of the many ways they're trying to make me give in, _he thought, idly taking some of the water into his mouth. It tasted grainy and rough, just like the desert that surrounded him, imprisoned him. Soon after doing this, he felt another drop fall onto his face. And another, and another. Eventually, the bruised man rolled himself over and out of the direct path of the falling water.

Rolling towards the only window in the area, he looked up to it's bars. Through the small view that he could see, the noticed that the clouds were prominent, and he could faintly hear a rainfall begin. As the pieces came together, he realized why there would be dripping from his cell, and he took a deep breath.

Temari… had once told him about how Sunagakure reacted during a rainfall. Water was so rare in the desert that when it did rain, barely once every few months, it was truly a spectacle. The way that the sun reflected off of the rain drops, the way that they fell upon the ground. The way that the village smelt afterward, everyone's reaction to it. According to her, it never got old, even the elders seemed to be utterly amazed by the sight of rainwater.

Shikamaru sighed. It would've been quite the sight to see if he wasn't locked up. Of course, that wasn't the most important thing that she had told him, all those times before-.

_"It's…__. defenses… from what I can remember defenses were down… are down… more when it's raining o when there's a sandstorm..."_

Shikamaru took a breath, and then slowly pulled himself until he was sitting up, his torso no longer touching the ground. She'd never give him a useless piece of advice, and definitely not while she was on her own deathbed. As the memories of his failure returned to him, however, he found himself more intrigued with the path of sand beside him where the rain had begun to accumulate. He idly placed a finger into the small puddle to find that the sand beneath it was getting soft.

He suddenly realized why he hadn't seen any guards today, and why Gaara had come to taunt him all by himself.

Groaning, he slowly moved himself towards a wall, and let his back slack against it. The information he remembered now would have been perfect, if only he knew a way out of his cell. Water had no affect on glass nor steel, and the only way that the bars opened was when someone from the other side opened them manually. Until, or unless, the rainfall was harsh enough, he had no true way of escaping, not with his weakened body. However, the good news was that, according to Temari, if the village was truly less guarded during this time of year, there was no doubt that he would have someone sent to him soon enough.

But for now, all he could do was wait. As he watched the roof of his cell become damp with water.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikadai, on the other hand, was tired of waiting.

By now, it had been over two weeks since his father had disappeared, and he had yet to get any more word from anyone about what he was doing, where he was, or when he was ever coming home. His school work was getting easier as the days went by, but the more and more he prodded anyone about his father's disappearance, the more and more awkward things got. As of now, they would only repeat mantras of "He's coming home soon" or outright ignore him when he asked, desperate to change the subject. His father being absent from his life was a common occurrence in the past, but the man had promised him that he would try harder to be around more, for his sake. For him to be away this long suggested that the man might be doing important, but, no matter what Shikamaru was doing out there now, Shikadai was done waiting for him to come back home.

"Come on, focus!"

But it seemed that he'd have to wait a while longer.

Shikadai quickly dashed out of the previous space that he had been standing in, and was able to dodge the wooden kunai that Mirai had thrown at him. She quickly dashed herself to destroy the distance between them, but Shikadai was able to dodge out of the way of her punch, and then aim for her knees. Of course, she was able to back away quickly, and reached for his ponytail, before the boy moved back again, and placed his hands into a seal, imitating a move he had seen his own father preform a million times before.

"Shadow possession jutsu!"

Mirai stood up straight as she watched as the shadows from the tree that Shikadai was standing in front of began to come to life, and then rushed towards her. She quickly dodged out of the way, with a look of utter confusion and surprise. Shikamaru had never told her that he had begun teaching his son the clan's signature jutsu, and from what she could see now, the boy could at least handle and control it to a moderate rate. As the shadows continued to rush towards her, she moved her way around it over and over again, and found it quite simple to avoid it. Eventually, after a few dodges and dashes, she noticed that the shadow began to slow down, until it thinned and became less of a midnight black. This gave her enough time to rush towards Shikadai, him having to dodge out of the way within a few moments.

Before he could make the complete dodge, however, Mirai reached forwards to latch onto Shikadai's ponytail, and with a quick tugged, pulled the boy until he was suspended in the air, hanging only by his hair. The boy let out a rather sudden sound, before Mirai titled her head, and gave him a small smile.

"You're slow."

Shikadai growled.

"And you're troublesome."

Mirai shrugged knowingly, before she slowly lowered her arm to place the boy onto the ground.

"Know what else is troublesome? Low marks. Bad grades. Possibly flunking out of school."

Shikadai kissed his teeth, and then waved one of his hands.

"Oh please."

Turning, Shikadai moved himself towards one of the targets that as in the field that the two stood in, and slowly began to take out the wooden kunai that he had lodged into it earlier. On the horizon, the sun was still high in the sky, but he had been vocal earlier about not wanting to spend his entire weekend training. Other than the two of them, the little clearing in the Nara forest was deserted, and it was likely to stay that way.

"Besides, I don't see how any of this sparring's going to help me with my test," he moaned. "We're just wasting time out here."

Mirai lazily seated herself on a broken tree stump behind her .

"I guess you've never heard of an _applied _education."

"Oh I've heard of it. It's just stupid, that's all."

Mirai cringed. It had been a while since Shikamaru had asked her to watch over Shikadai in his stead, and despite also knowing the boy since he had bee born, she always found herself caught off-guard by his attitude. When he wanted it, he could come out acting like some demonic version of his father's laziness and his mother's sass. It was getting on her last nerves.

"Oh it's _stupid_, is it?"

"Yeah. _It is-."_

"Alright then."

She gestured to the stump that she was sitting on.

"Gee, that was pretty easy of me to break this, wasn't it?"

"What does this have to do with anyth-."

"It _was, _wasn't it?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Do you remember what ninja tool I used to to it?"

"Yeah. A Shuriken."

"Alright then. But a shuriken is small, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"So, Shikadai. How do you think I was able to take that tree down?"

Shikadai frowned.

"Well, of course, you threw the kunai at the tree really, really fast-."

"Acceleration."

"But the kunai was really, really small-."

Shikadai narrowed his eyes.

"… The reason why the tree fell was because you hit it with more force than it could handle. The mass of the kunai mattered a little bit, but the main reason why it fell was because of it's speed…"

Mirai slowly raised from her stump.

"And….?"

Shikadai sighed.

"Force is acceleration multiplied by mass."

And then without another word, Mirai completely disappeared.

Shikadai blinked, and then bent his knees to get himself into a battle stance, and his head turned around to see if he could catch her. _Fine, _he muttered. _Maybe I am learning something from all of this-._

Before he could finish his thought, Shikadai felt something sharp and sudden hit him in the back of his head. Before he could be pushed from the force of it, he ducked down, and then quickly looked up to see Mirai fly over him, her legs in a kicking position.

_Ugh. _

He quickly stood up, and then moved back to rush out of the clearing, and head for cover within the forest around him, his mode of thinking being that he needed some time to think, and despite the yellow, red and brown leaves in the forest, anywhere was better than an open field. Before he could make it halfway there, Mirai appeared in front of him again, having dashed to a closer position near him, and threw him a punch. Shikadai barely ducked in time, only for him to have to jump back to avoid being kicked in the face. In response and acting on instinct, he turned his elbow I, and aimed to try and hit her outstretched leg, only for her to move it back in and move her head towards to headbutt him back, falling onto the ground. She continued her assault, moving to step on his leg, but luckily the boy was finally able to find an opening, rolling to dodge it, before quickly scrambling on the ground to get himself to his feet.

The moment he was mobile again, he took off towards the other side of the clearing, his previous idea dead in an instant. He could hear her footsteps accelerate behind him, and he turned his head to see her rushing towards him again. He quickly ducked down, but continued his run before he heard something whiz by his head. He fell before it hit him, falling by his side, and he looked towards ut quickly to see another wooden shuriken, and then rolled onto the ground in front of him.

He kept on rolling for a while, before landing onto his back. He saw Mirai come closer to him, and panicked for a few moments, before realizing one of the few things that eh could do.

"Shadow possession jutsu!"

From the small distance between them, Shikadai saw Mirai roll her eyes. She'd seen this move before, and she quickly dodged to her right, moving away from the shadows. However, she didn't notice that Shikadai was also controlling the shadows behind her, and quickly connected it with his own. Before it was done, he was able to move backwards, rushing and pushing himself closer into the forest behind him, trying to get out of the clearing and where there were more shadows.

Mirai, however, wouldn't be discouraged. She moved for his forehead, aiming to poke him on the forehead, before she began to feel something pull her back from behind. She turned her head to see that it was Shikadai's shadows that were pulling her back, and that he was using the shuriken from earlier as a sort of anchor. She grinned, and then continued to push against it, trying to reach the boy that was in front of her, and silently marveling at the strength of the shadow as well. But before she could make any significant movements, she looked up to see that Shikadai had gotten to his feet, and was rushing back to the forest around them once again.

This time, he made it inside.

Mirai waited a few moments, and as she had predicted, the boy could only hold onto the shadows for a small while longer before they dispelled. Afterward, she rushed into the forest alongside him, and once inside, began to search it's branches, roots and trunks for any sign that the child was still around. The area, thanks to the sun in the sky, seemed to be over-burdened with shadows and darkness, and she could already get a good idea of why he retreated back here.

Of course. His father used to do the same when they trained together.

Finally, she looked up into one of the trees, and saw a signature tuff of black hair, just behind some leaves and above her on a branch. She smirked, and then began to slowly make her way towards him, moving fast yet quietly, not making a single sound. Soon, she was able to get a better vantage point of him, and watched as the boy simply sat over a branch, facing further into the forest, and looking away from her. She let out a small smile.

"Oh well," she whispered. "Looks like you've failed lesson two." Continuing to keep herself as silent as the autumn's breeze, she slowly made her way past the falling leaves around her, the creaking and weakening branches, and moved until she was a simple four trees away from her prey.

And then once she was four trees away, she leapt into the sky, and began to glide over the four trees-.

Before a torrent of shadows latched onto her immediately. In front of her, Shikadai turned her head and began to laugh harshly at her.

_You twerp…_

As she rushed towards him, the shadows that had latched onto her legs and back pulled her backwards, and slowed her speed. She could feel herself begin to glide as opposed to fly, and when she was close enough, she vainly reached out a single finger, at the very least hoping to tap the boy on the head. Instead of flinching or even moving, Shikadai defiantly stood on the branch, until her fingers were barely a distance away from his face. But, it never touched.

Mirai smirked at him again.

"Like I said-."

"Force is acceleration divided by mass, right?"

Upon realizing what he did, Mirai reached forwards a little bit closer, still suspended in air, and then brushed his hair.

"See. You _are _learning things while you're with me, aren't you?"

Shikadai shrugged, mildly embarrassed for being wrong, but also truly not caring much. Slowly, he made his shadows place Mirai on the branch next to him, and then sat down on it, looking out into the deeper wood. Blushing, he tried his best to focus on the falling leaves around him, and not on her.

"...Yeah. Maybe."

"Aaand… when you ace that test on Monday you'll be thanking me," Mirai boasted, keeping herself preppy and high. Instead of sitting next to him, she leaned herself up against the bark.

"Anyways, I guess we can call it a day. I've got other duties to do today."

"Like?" Shikadai asked. When Mirai looked down on him again, she could almost feel his boredom and utter dissatisfaction with everything around him. She sighed.

"Well… I'm helping my Mom with some cleaning. Nothing too hard, and I should be open after a while. How about you? Going to go play with someone else for a bit?"

Shikadai shrugged, and continued to look at the falling leaves.

"I dunno."

Mirai raised a brow.

"You really don't kn-."

"No, I _don't."_ Shikadai snapped. "I guess I'll game for a bit, right?" He paused, and then slowly let his lips slip into a small, light smirk.

"… Want to join?"

Mirai rubbed her hands together.

"You sure you're ready to get yourself whooped?"

"Are _you _ready to get beaten by some little kid?" 

"Pfha! I've got thirteen years on ya kid. I've got seniority."

"And I have the smarts."

"We'll see about that later, now wont we?"

She rustled his hair again, before she turned herself around to leave. Before she could, however, She heard Shikadai stand up slowly, not bothering with how loud he suddenly was.

"Wait, Mirai."

He turned his head to look up at her. Amazingly, the boy had learned to temper his annoyance and tiredness, and instead seemed to be prepared to ask her a serious, and honest question. Mirai raised a brow.

"Mm?"

Shikadai took a breath in.

"...Any idea when my Dad's getting back?"

And with that sentence, the tone of the entire area began to change.

Mirai's face slowly left it's previous happiness and jive, and slowly settled into a neutral one, trying her best to prevent it from turning into a guilty one. Like the rest of the adult Jonin in the village, she knew perfectly well the status of Shikamaru Nara. And, as she stood there in front of the boy, no, young _man_, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before he figured it out for himself. Even sooner than that, since Shikadai was such a bright young man.

She looked away from him for a moment, and tried her best to think of what to do. It had been a good twelve days since she had interrogated the information from Choji, and even she was still struggling to accept her new duty. Shikamaru had asked her to watch over him, not to _raise _him, as she would likely be expected to do now.

She eventually reached her answer, and slowly raised her shoulders up to shrug.

"...No idea," she lied, trying her best to keep her vice steady. "Whatever he's up there must be pretty big for the lack of communication. I wouldn't worry about it personally. You know he'll get back soon enough."

She felt like absolute shit for lying to Shikadai, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to break the boy's heart. Mother and Father both killed in the same month. The kid was alone now, and she couldn't help but try and make it seem better.

But… something in Shikadai's eyes changed with her response. Instead of looking relieved and more relaxed, the boy now looked almost deflated. Sighing, he began to slouch.

"...Alright..."

Without another word, he dropped himself off of the branch and towards the ground below, and then quickly moved to begin walking on the forest's floor, making a loud crunch as he landed on a few leaves.

"...I guess I'll see you later, right?"

Mirai nodded down to him, and then Shikadai began to walk off, heading in the direction of the house he now lived in by himself. After a few steps, the boy hastily placed his hands into his pocket and made his strides longer, eager to leave the area.

All the while Mirai slowly moved herself to sit on the branch, and took a deep inhale.

"…What do I do now…?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mommy! Mommy! Check it out!"

Excitedly, Okuni pointed to a marionette on the TV screen. The simple, small puppet was of intricate design despite it's size, and was a beautiful white colour. In the show that she was watching, it was being used to portray a character.

"Mommy, can you make me one like that?" She said, turning her head around to look at her mother. "I'd love one like this!"

Shiori looked at the TV screen, and then mentally prepared an image for her to save.

"Oh… you like designs like this?"

"Yup! It's small enough so uh… so I can do a lot of things with it!"

She blinked twice at her mother, before suddenly looking and feeling guilty.

"Oh… but the one you made me earlier is good too. If you painted it white then it would be enough for me!"

Shiori let herself smile a small smile. The girl was slowly becoming more and more aware of her actions and feelings, it seemed, and in each day that passed she found herself having a more and more considerate and compassionate daughter.

At least somethingthing in her world was going right.

"No, it's fine hon. I'll make you a brand new one if you need me too."

"Really?!"

"Of course." Smiling softly, she brought one of her hands to her head and began to mess up her hair.

"Anything for my little girl."

Okuni grinned, and then threw a hand up into the air. After a torrent of "thank yous" and "Mom you're the bests", she was returned to her previous state of calm, and returned her little face to the TV screen, now preoccupied with the going ons of the cartoon characters in front of her. All the while, behind her, and seated on her sofa as opposed to the floor, Shiori found herself almost fighting back tears.

_…. __Kankuro used to do that for her…._

She wouldn't cry now, though, and slowly steeled her emotions as the cartoon went on. It had been weeks since she heard the news after all, and she needed to become more accepting of reality. He was dead. He was never coming back. And, importantly, she was Okuni's _mother. _It was natural for a mother to take a father's role every now and then.

But she personally doubted that it was normal for them to take over his _full _responsibility. And a Mom could never replace a Dad.

She could feel her face slowly twist into a frown, and she found that she couldn't stop it from happening. It was late now after all, and she was tired from a long day's work, along with a long day with her daughter. All of the lights in her, or rather, Kankuro's old home, were now dimmed, and the two remaining women of the house were situated in the living room, and had been ever since dinner ended. Re applying their old ritual; the two usually watched this show together. _Stephannie's Galaxy. _It was Okuni's favorite, she knew the songs, did the dances, and even quoted the characters from it all the time. Right now, she enthusiastically imitated each of the main characters, and laughed along with any and all of the jokes. In the years that she had watched along with her, Shiori had slowly begun to see how clever it was, despite it being aimed at toddlers.

Of course, ever since Kankuro had….

Things had changed since that day.

Balancing work and parenting was hard before his death, but it had only gotten harder for the woman once he had passed away. Being the new leader of the Puppet Core in his stead was grueling and busy work, and Okuni nearly being school aged was only making it harder. In the weeks that they had learned the news, she was especially bad, and the woman feared that little Okuni would hurt herself with all of the crying, screaming and utter depression that the child had gone through. Slowly and surely, she had been able to break Okuni away from her emotions, but every now and then she could see cracks in the girl's new facade. No matter how much she was there for her, Kankuro's bond with her would never fade away.

And no amount of passed time would make up for the bond that he had with _her._

Shiori quickly changed her trial of thought once she noticed the show in front of her ending. Stephannie and her Diamond Ores had defeated the aliens, and the earth was safe for the time being. Quickly, she noticed Okuni let out a long, loud yawn. Shiori herself was beginning to become tired, and as she heard a sudden crack of lightning from outside, she thanked the heavens that she had done everything that she needed to do before she had begun to. The tin plates had been placed around the roof of the house to prevent any rain water from seeping through the building's sand exterior, the plants outside had been diverted from the heavy outside rain pour, the house inside was clean and all of the remnants of their dinner had been stored away safely in their fridge. Okuni was already in her pajamas, and she herself was already in her night gown. All that she needed to do now was tuck Okuni in, and then retire to her lonely, cold bed.

She blinked as Okuni reached forwards to flick the off switch, turning off the TV by herself.

"Mommy, I'm tired…."

The girl gave a loud and awful yawn, and before she could rest herself again, Shiori had reached down to pick her up into her arms, and lift her into the sky. She noted that the girl was slowly getting big, it seemed just a few weeks ago she was a little girl. Then Kankuro died, and-.

She bit her lip, and instinctively ran her hands through her hair. Okuni let out a soft yawn, and then twiddled her thumbs on her mother's back. Shiori found herself smiling at this, and then slowly began to walk her way up the stairs and into the little girl's room, each step letting memories return to her. Happy ones. Once she made it to Okuni's room, she let herself remember the days that Kankuro and her had spent renovating it, from a spare storage room into a little girl's nursery. From a nursery to a bedroom.

And once she saw the bedroom again, she sighed deeply.

Okuni's room had been created and designed with the purpose of keeping the little girl's already vivid imagination running wild. On the shelves on the walls, there were sculptures and wooden figures of dragons and heroes, little figurines of princes and princesses, akin to the bedtime stories that Kankuro used to tell her. The walls themselves were painted her favorite colour, purple, variations in shade created scenes of desert, an oasis, and even small camels to boot. The girl's bed was small in comparison, but only made that way to keep her from getting lost in the middle of the bed, and there was a great, lofty chair on the right side of it, right in front of her side table, which held a small lamp. Her bedsheets were a light blue, and her pillows were shaped like stars. Finally, behind the girl's bed, facing the main door, was a set of two, big windows with their own sets of blinds, giving the girl a good view of downtown Sunagakure.

She took a deep breath, and nodded at the sight in front of her. Both her and Kankuro had made this, a true labor of love. But now…

Hurriedly, she moved to place the girl into her bed, and then tucked her under the sheets, making sure that she was nice and snug. The girl had issues with heat, and every time she tucked her in she made sure that she was just snug enough. Afterward, she slowly sat herself into the chair beside her daughter's bed, and then leaned over the night table beside it, to get a closer look at her daughter's well-being.

"Okuni, are you alright?"

She was nearly fast asleep, but the girl still looked towards her Mother and gave her a lazy and tired nod. She had tired herself out today with all of her hyperactivity, and in Shiori's mind, it made sense that she was so sleepy now. The both of them had had a long day.

"Yeah… I'm okay."

"Well… alright. Just checking, hon."

She spent a few moment thinking, and then came up with a brilliant idea.

"...Would you like me to read you a bed-time story?"

Okuni's eyes slowly dimmed even more than they were already doing, and Shiori could already tell that something was wrong. Kankuro usually was the one to handle bed-time stories. Kankuro was usually the one to tuck her into bed. She usually simply waited by the door and gave her a kiss on the cheek at the very end-.

"No thanks…" Okuni squeaked, slowly pulling herself even further under the covers. Shiori felt hurt, but instantly understood her reaction. She could never replace her father.

"...Ok. Well have a good rest, honey."

"Ya. You too mommy."

Slowly, Okuni's frown turned into a smile, and Shiori rewarded this with a small kiss on her cheek. She then embraced her daughter in a small hug, before raising herself up to leave the room, closing the door behind her.

And the moment that door closed, she heard a knocking at another one.

She growled. It was late now, well past the time that anyone should have been knocking on her door. Whatever it was now would have to be an emergency.

So she closed her robe a bit more than it already was, quickly placed her hair into a ponytail, and then made her way downstairs to the front door. Once she was there, for safety, she looked through the peephole…

To see that Gaara was standing outside.

Vividly and suddenly, Shiori began to feel very, very angry. After all, her precious Kazekage was the reason why she went through so much pain now.

She loved Gaara as a brother, but she could not deny for a moment that he was at least practically responsible for the state that her family was in. If he had never chosen Kankuro to go out on the mission with him, then he would've never been killed. If he had given her more work to do after his passing, then she would never have the time to even feel these feelings that she felt. If he… if she… no… if _he had just..._

_…._

She quickly opened the door and bowed before her Kazekage. Gaara looked a bit haggard from the day before him, but still stood up as straight as his body would allow him.

"Shiori."

She finished her bowing, and then looked into her Kazekage's eyes.

"...Lord Gaara, is this important?"

Gaara stood on her doorstep for a few moments, before his mouth opened.

"…Yes..." he said. Ever since his brother's death, the man had always sounded near-dead himself when he spoke to her, and there was always an air of sadness around when the two collided nowadays.

"… All the materials are here now, Shiori. _Eden _can be built."

_….Eden…_

Kankuro's posthumous Magnum Opus, and the thing he had spent so many nights up working on. The thing that would "End the War"….

_… __Killing Shikamaru was supposed to do that as well…_

Shiori nodded, but thought deeply into why Gaara would come here himself to tell her this. He had shinobi that could've been sent to tell her. The two knew each other's phone numbers…

"Thank you. I can get working on it in the morning."

She looked behind him and marveled at how dark Sunagakure could get as it rained, and then back at him.

"...Is there anything else, Lord Kazekage?"

"Shiori, are you alright?"

Shiori blinked, and then narrowed her eyes at her Kage.

"..."

She had no intention of answering that question. She didn't want to deal with her emotions any longer than she had to.

Taking a deep breath, she began to shake her head, before stopping herself and nodding. She knew Gaara. In the absence of his brother, he would be stressed enough already. He didn't need a crying widow on his hands.

"...I'm fine." The lie would have to do.

Slowly, she closed the door on him, and then turned to try and get herself to bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A drop of sandy water fell onto Shikamaru's head. And instead of protesting or complaining, he simply let it. When another one followed, he allowed it to do the same. And the process continued on and on, until his face was full of the water.

By now, an entire day had passed of nothing but rain. Around his cell now were puddles of the residue from outside's downpour, and despite the fact that a guard eventually showed up, the same one that now stood outside of his cell, nothing was done about the leaks. In fact, the man had simply just laughed at him, called him a few names ,and then went back to standing vigilant.

That plan had failed. But, of course, Shikamaru was a brilliant strategist. The vicious downpour from outside was his key to escaping this hell, and he wasn't going to let it pass him by.

More rain fell onto his face, and he idly opened his mouth to try and swallow some, curious about the taste. It was, of course, sandy, and disgusting, but the taste in truth wasn't the reason why he had chosen to-

"Hey! Cut that out!"

Shikamaru turned his eyes to the doors of his cell to see that the guard that had been looking after him was now looking at him through the bars. Shikamaru gave him a dead glare.

"...Leave me alone-."

"First you stop that shit! It's already disgusting that you're here, I don't need you drinking dirty rain water to add to my annoyances!"

Shikamaru continued with his dead stare. In the hours that the guard had arrived here, the man had taunted and insulted each and every thing about Shikamaru, from his friends to his comrades, to his village to his hair. The man was still too weak to generate chakra, and maybe even too weak to stand.

Another rain drop fell onto his face, and the head of the Nara clan licked it into his mouth. Fuck the guard.

"I said **stop."**

"Or you'll do what? You can't kill me without Gaara getting mad-."

"No, but I can make it so you would wish that you're dead!"

Shikamaru licked some more water off his lips, and the guard in front of him growled.

"Fine!"

He quickly opened the cell door.

And the entire cell seemed to collapse onto him.

Shikamaru quickly crawled before the process happened, but once it began, there was nothing that he could do the stop it. As he had predicted, his cell door was the only thing in the cell that wasn't becoming damp and weak. The moment that the guard had been hasty enough to open the door, the entire solid foundation of the cell had instantly collapsed.

What happened next was a flash, and Shikamaru could barely see what had exactly transpired. The sand from above had quickly caved in on both him and his overzealous guard, and he felt himself being pushed down and around. The sound of falling rushing sound gave him reminders from his childhood, the Chuunin exams, Gaara. The fear. The constant movement….

Until the movement stopped.

Shikamaru slowly but strongly pushed himself out of the sand that he was in, and then shook his head fiercely to get the sand out of his eyes. Once he was able to see again…

He realized that he was outside, on the streets of Sunagakure. Behind him, a giant pile of softened, wet sand lay, with an assortment of non-sand furniture and doors, having fallen into a chasm, and onto the street for all to see. Oddly, half of the building still stood, but the rain that fell down onto it implied that it would fall down soon as well.

What was left of his cell was a huge pile of sand, and he noticed that his prison had taken down an entire building. Despite his predictions, it was clear that his interrogation room and his cell were in two different buildings, as beside the giant pile of ruined sand and still standing building was another, bigger building, this one made out of the same steel he had felt every time he had left it.

He took a breath, and realized that he had no time to marvel. Instead, he had to escape before someone came to inspect him.

Slowly so that he didn't harm himself more than he already was, he rose himself to his feet. He quickly dashed out of the open field around the interrogation complex, and then moved into an alley, the rain falling on his head. Silently, he hoped that the smell that he got from it wouldn't make it easy for any ninja hounds to find him once Gaara inevitably figured out that he was gone. As he ran, he tried his best to remember any part of Sunagakure's city layout, before finding himself in a residential district, and then some slums. His mind began to think extremely fast.

One of the houses here had clothes hanging from a clothesline, and he quickly jumped into the backyard to take the clothes off without any resistance. Quickly moving somewhere secluded, he took off his prisoner slacks and replaced them with the clothes that he had taken, and to his dismay, found out that the wanderer's robe and headscarf was much too big for him. Beggars, or rather, thieves, couldn't be choosy, and he quickly left the home and moved on.

In the years that he had last been in Sunagakure, it had expanded greatly. He could tell this by the fact that, by then, he had been running for a solid hour and still hadn't been able to leave the city, but at the very least he had been able to get to the outer walls. Once the war had begun, he noticed that Sunagakure gained an outer wall. Ten years later, there was another wall, and another small village in between the first wall and the new one. There was only a small difference between the quality of life given in each wall layer, and de-.

Shikamaru began to hear an alarm coming from the outer walls, and then bit his lip, and found himself stopping in another alley, this one being darker than all of the ones he had been into before. It was clear that they had figured out that he'd escaped, and he needed to figure out a good way to leave the city. He couldn't risk waiting in the city until the rainfall ended, and he couldn't risk running outside the city walls all by himself. As he tucked his long and wild hair into a loose braid and set it to fall down his back, before quickly returning the headscarf to his face, he kept this in mind.

His running continued, and once he arrived at the wall, he noticed a group of people dressed like him. Near the great, giant sand gate that surrounded the outer wall, he watched them converse with a sand shinobi, until that shinobi left them and moved into a nearby guard tower, built into the wall, going up the stairs. Shikamaru saw that the travelers had camels with them, and an idea moved into his mind…

As the ground prepared to leave, he slowly moved himself to walk behind them. When the gate opened, he walked behind them, them being completely oblivious to his presence, and not noticing anything wrong. Once they were outside, the gate closed, and the way to Sunagakure was blocked off for the night. The rain that fell onto Shikamaru's head increased, and a slight bought of wind kicked up to caress his being.

_...__Finally free..._

One of six travelers that he walked behind finally noticed him, and waved for him to stop looking up at the sky. Strangely, the man didn't seem to notice anything different about him, and simply called him by another name. It might have been that whoever he had dressed up as just so happened to have been included in the group. But he didn't question anything more as the man handed him the reins to a camel, and then helped him get seated on it.

Before the group let Sunagakure fully leave their view, Shikamaru couldn't help but look back at it. Sunagakure. His wife's birthplace. His prison. His Hell.

When he would return to it, he'd make it a thousandfold better than it was. But for now, it was time for him to leave.

He kicked the sides of his camel, and the animal moved faster to keep up with the group in front of him.

Shikamaru had a son at home, and he was tired of keeping him waiting.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Thanks a lot for waiting, and here's a longer chapter for you all to enjoy. I'll try to update this story by mid November, but this Fall is a very busy time for me. Thank you a lot for reading, once again thank you for your patience, and __thank you for giving me a chance! Please remember to R&amp;R if you have the time! And I'll see you soon!_


	37. Dunes

_AN: Welcome to part 37!_

_It took a little later to get out than normal, but school is really complicated for me, since we've just met Midterms. To make matters worse, 2 weeks ago I caught this very nasty cold that's kept me coughing, barely able to speak, and now might have given me an ear infection. Fun. But at least I get to write this awesome story, right?_

_The next little while is going to be very very hectic, but I'm going to do my absolute best to maintain my schedule and chapter length. I should also mention that I'm experimenting with improving my writing style, in other words I'm going to write and write more concise and to the point. You guys can let me know if you like it or not, and I'll decide if I still want to use it. It wont be a big change, but I'm going to try and keep the purple prose at a minimum. Once again, thank you all for reading!_

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Gaara was running faster than he had in a long, long while.

Beside him, he could hear the sounds of a ninja hound sniffing as it ran, and after a few motions, it barked loudly to show that it had found something. The Kazekage slowed down, and so did the hound, pressing it's nose against the sane beneath it, and beginning to scurry around.

"What is it boy?" The voice was that of another shinobi, this one being a little bit older than Gaara was, wearing his Jonin vest, and with a head wrap covering most of his face, the exception being his dark red eyes. He knelt down to where the dog was sniffing, and watched as the hound began to circle an area. It wasn't marked at all, but the rain from the night before had likely hid any tracks that would have existed there, and the nose of a Sunan Bloodhound rarely told lies. Gaara watched the ordeal for moments longer, before the hound began to bark loudly again, looking towards the north. One of the four other shinobi that accompanied him gave out a shout.

"Alright! This way!"

The ninja hound began to rush out in the direction it had gazed before, and the other shinobi began to follow it in pursuit. Gaara ran amongst them, careful to make sure that he wasn't in the front nor back in case of an ambush or trap. As he travelled, he couldn't help but reflect upon his situation.

The moment that he had found out that Shikamaru escaped captivity, he had mobilized a force of his best, or rather, best _surviving _shinobi to join him in hunting him back down. He had left the village in charge of his best man, no, _woman, _and had assured, rather frantically, that he would take care of the rest of the damages, mostly structural, that the rainstorm had brought the moment that he had returned.

Although, even as he had said those words, he hadn't been _thinking _about it. No, the only thing that he was truly thinking about was the man that he was tracking down now.

_Shikamaru... you son of a bitch._

The group he travelled in was silent, and the only other sound he could hear other than the sound of feet crushing the sand beneath them was the heavy panting of the canine. It was the only one that they had left in Sunagakure, the rest of them being assigned on missions, but they had made sure to save the best at their village in case of emergencies. In the few hours that they had been outside the village, the dog had found all sorts of clues towards Shikamaru's true whereabouts. It's accuracy was typical, however, and he could get a gut feeling that he was getting closer to his quarry. There was no way that the man he hunted could've gotten far from the village in the short while that he had been gone, and the man likely had no time to gather provisions for such a journey. There was no way that he could've gotten far away. The mantra replayed in Gaara's head over and over again.

He would find him. He would catch him. And he would get what he _wanted _from the man, or this time, Shikamaru would _die._

His escape had been damaging and embarrassing to the man on many, many levels. The general had been offered a pardon from a Kage, and he had refused. He had been given a chance to give in, and he had ignored. He had been tortured to the point where he could barely stand, and yet his mouth had stayed shut. Beyond that, he had been responsible for-...

Gaara clenched his fists, and then continued to keep his eyes in front of him, looking towards the direction of the ninja hound. The four other ninja that were with him did the same, and the group of six rushed over the sand silently, the desert's harsh and unforgiving sun. Their feet made no sound as it clashed with the sand underneath, and their breathes were as steady as their eyes. Soon, Gaara reasoned, he would find Shikamaru. He would find him, properly punish him, and then things would get better. Things _had _to get better. No more dead brothers and sisters, no more crimes...

No more massacres.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru weakly rolled himself around in the sand.

_Get up. Got to... get up..._

Despite his will, his sides still ached. He tried his best to reach his hands above his head to begin to move again, but he felt a shock in his arms again. And so, realizing that all of his struggling would only cause him more pain, he slowly returned his arms to his side, and then began to take a few, slow breathes, making sure to keep himself calm. On his back, he could feel the sand shift and shake with his lungs, and then, after a few minutes of rest, he tried to raise his hands above his head again, and this time he succeeded.

_...Alright then... now stand up..._

He hadn't expected to still be weak from the night before, and the fact that he still was now rocked him to his core. The desert's sun threatened to swallow him up and destroy him if he didn't' get up, and he could already predict that Gaara was at least aware of his disappearance. To add to matters, the trading group he had been travelling with was getting ready to go. He had to come off as healthy, alert and strong like the others, lets his cover be blown.

So even as his chest began to burst into a flame of pain, he moved his hands to his sides and slowly pushed himself up to his knees, continuing until he was standing again. He reached up into the sky slowly to stretch, before pausing quickly as he heard a crack go off in his right arm. He cringed for a moment, before taking in a deep breath, and then finishing his warm up. He then turned himself around and slowly knelt to the ground to roll up his bedroll, before standing up again, and moving towards his camel.

He and the rest of the Trading group had ridden well into the night, getting a good distance away from Sunagakure before they had allowed themselves to rest. They had slept in the morning and well through the afternoon, or at least that was from what Shikamaru could guess, looking up into the sun high in the sky. Their camp had been small and simple, each man had a bed roll on the back of their camel, and so each had simply found a dune to set their things on, and then found rest.

Thinking of the men he travelled with, Shikamaru slowly began to walk towards the camel that he had "been given" the night before, and then slowly mounted it, getting a better view of the small "camp". Everyone else that was with him, 4 men of alternating sizes, weights and heights, all wearing white turbans and long, white robes as he was, all had their own individual camels, although theirs were more stocky, and held more things. One man even had a giant box on the back of his, and behind his camel guided a desert mule along with a robe, the mule also having it's own overburden of storage. It was a trade caravan if he had ever seen one.

Once he was fully settled, he heard a whistle from in front of him. He was positioned at the back end of the 5 man caravan, so the man who had whistled towards him was directly in front of him. The brown skinned man turned his head around to look Shikamaru in the eye, and then nodded and smiled.

"Ready for another day of travel?" At this, Shikamaru nodded. For a moment, he nearly forgot that he still wore a full head scarf over his head, completely making him anonymous to everyone else in the area.

"Of course I am. Let's go."

The men in front of him all kicked their heels into heir camels, and the great beasts began to make their way forwards. Shikamaru did the same, and his camel began to prance forwards as well. Eventually, he'd slip away from the group, and quickly head back to his village in the usual path He took a deep breath of the clear, clean desert air, and then breathed in deeply.

_...Almost there Shikadai. Hang on._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

For all her life, Shiho had always wanted to be this close to Shikamaru Nara.

As a young girl, she used to fantasize about him. Back then, she was the only woman in the village with a similar intellect to his, and with him being the dashing young man he was, she used to dream of marrying him. The two would have been a perfect team, in her eyes at least, the two strategists amongst the ninja world. They did have decent chemistry, and he was quite kind and polite once he tried to care about such things. In her eyes, the two were meant to be together.

That all changed when Shikamaru began to date Temari.

For the first three years, she hated her. In her eyes, some bitch from the desert had come out without any warning, taking her future husband within her winds. She used to cringe hen she saw them walking down Konoha's main street, she used to jeer behind their backs and avoid the two when she could. It wasn't fair. He was supposed to be _her _knight in snarky armour. Her own failed love life without him only aggravated her into outright hating him, her, and the very fabric of their union.

But one day... her dislike of them simply ended.

In hindsight, she couldn't remember the true reason why she stopped hating the fact that Shikamaru and Temari were together. Perhaps it was the fact that her own ninja career began to pick up steam, leaving her less time to complain about such trivial things. Perhaps it was the fact that she made more friends on that year, and would meet her future husband mere months after she realized that she no longer cared. But, all in all, it was probably because one day she looked into the union without noticing Temari, without noticing her taking him away from her...

And instead of seeing two conspiring snakes... she saw two young shinobi truly in love, despite their circumstances. Shikamaru was still a knight in shining armour, but it was for a different woman, not her.

And now, she was tasked with seeing and documenting how the fairy tale ended. With the princess dead, and her knight dying soon after.

Naruto had tasked her with inspecting and preparing the body for a cremation mere hours ago, and the moment she had been given the job she had gotten right to emptying the body fluids, and cleaning any of the exterior wounds. In her lonely laboratory, the man was under her scalpel, still and silent. She pushed herself up from the body, and then looked at it, going over the work she had done earlier. The man's face was closed with a towel, but the rest of him was definitely Nara. Slim physique, a narrow chest with his upper left portion open, open palms on both of his hands, and a cut just above his right thigh.

She sighed.

_Of course the time I get to be close to him is when he's **dead**._

She shook her head in embarrassment, and then moved to look at the clock on the wall. It was time for her to open up the cloth that covered his face and see his face for the last time.

She shook her head again, before slowly beginning to take the bandages offf of his head...

When she saw the man underneath it, she knew that it wasn't Shikamaru Nara.

From the top of her head, Shikamaru's head a little more Narrow, and Shikamaru definitely didn't have a moustache. The man's hair was long and black, yes, but it was in a ponytail, while his hair showed no signs of actively being in a hairstyle like that. Shiho blinked, and then left the operating table for a few minutes longer, returning when elsewhere in the room she found what she was looking for.

A book on measurements.

When a Jonin or Chuunin wanted to keep his or her level, it was mandatory that he or she underwent a check up. A Psychological one, and a physical one. During the physical exams, Konohagakure collected records of height, weight, measurements and overall flexibility. It was good to know what condition a shinobi was in, the practice was introduced during a war where such things were needed, and the information collected was also used to identify corpses.

She paused. It was a little bit depressing that it came to this.

With a heavy heart, she slowly flipped the giant record book to the point where the Nara clan's statistics were, and then opened it up to Shikamarus' page. The man in front of her looked so similar, and yet so different. Slowly, she reached into a table drawer to take out a small ruler, using it to measure his chin to forehead...

To find that it was not a match.

She sucked in a breath, but then calmed her emotions. It was just a jaw sampling. The real measurements were just about to begin...

But as she went on and on, she found that none of the measurements were matching at all. The hair was too long, the beard wasn't quite like his. His hands were too big, his feet were too small. And at each reveal, each mismatched limb and/or appearance...

Shiho could feel a giddy feeling take over her.

On one hand, the man in front of her was dead.

But, on the other hand, the man in front of her was not Shikamaru.

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"You know, I'm beginning to think that the adults are lying to me."

From his position beside him on the open field, Inojin Yamanaka sighed pitifully, and then raised his arms so that they were behind his head. He then leaned back further into the beanbag chair that he sat in, and shook his head.

"You've been saying that for a while man. Give it a rest."

Shikadai looked over at him. The two of them were in the living room of the Nara Head's residence, and Shikadai was lying on the floor reading over his homework for the day as Inojin sat in a bean bag. Earlier, he had tried to draw his surroundings, the Nara residence was always well maintained and he always found it fascinating, but eventually Shikadai's sluggishness had seemed to rub off on him, and he had joined the boy in lying back. Considering how the boy had been acting with him all night, his awkward statement was really out of place. But he had brought it up in the days before, ever since it became a week since his father had gone.

"No, they really have to be lying. I mean, why else would they be so tight lipped about everything all of a sudden?"

Inojin sighed again, and tried to bury his head into his sketchbook in front of him.

"I don't know, maybe they're just tired of you complaining all the time," he snapped. Idly, he began to trace over the lines he had drawn with a spare pencil, and tried to figure out a way to move past this topic.

"...It's been a hard year for everyone, right? They probably just don't want to talk about _anything _relating to war, right?"

"Yeah, but... they haven't even told me where he's gone, or what he's doing? And what kind of solo mission takes more than two weeks-?"

"I don't know. But... maybe you shouldn't worry about it. I mean... they're older than us, right? They probably know what they're doing-."

"Bu-."

"And you're going to hurt yourself if you worry so much. At least, that's the type of stuff my Mom would say."

Shikadai paused, and then Inojin slowly pushed himself further and deeper into the beanbag.

"You know..." He said. "Maybe you should get into one of these? It might help you with your stress-."

"No thanks," Shikadai spoke. "I need to figure this out. Why would everyone be avoiding me now? Why would-.:

"Shi-."

"No. I need to figure it out. I need to know for sure."

Shikadai leaned back onto the ground he sat on, and then fell silent. In the days that had passed, he could increasingly feel himself become more and more jaded bout his father's disappearance. Eventually...

"...Do you think he might be dead-."

"Don't be dumb!" Inojin scolded. "Your Dad might be... 'sick'... now, but he's not _that _careless. Besides, if anything major, I'm sure that the adults would at least tell you something, or maybe some other people from your clan would figure it out..."

Inojin's voice trailed off as he continued to re-trace his lines, making sure that they were the correct look and texture. Meanwhile, Shikadai was given another opportunity to brood and complain.

Before he could do such a thing, however, he heard the front door open, and then raised his head up from the floor to see who had entered.

"Shikadai! You home?"

Shikadai rolled his eyes at the familiar voice.

"Yeah Mirai, I'm over here."

Mirai met the two boys sitting in the living room, then raised a hand to greet them. Shikadai raised a hand in response, but said nothing, while Inojin let himself wave back and forth happily. Mirai nodded, and then moved into the kitchen area, holding the stack of pizza boxes she had brought home and bringing them with her.

"Sooo... Mirai's your Nanny now...?" Inojin asked, confused. Shikadai shook his head.

"Naa. My Old man just asked her to look after me while he was gone. She's pretty cool, actually."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Shikadai looked up into the ceiling again, and this time found himself continuing his scepticism and worry. Mirai once claimed that she would have never lied to him, but the circumstances of the now were making it hard for him to believe in her. As each day without his father went on and on, he began to increase his suspicions...

"By the way, I brought back some Pizza! You did good work yesterday, so feel free to take some."

"Yeah! Thanks."

_Well, sitting around and brooding isn't going to fix things..._

Shikadai rolled himself over so that he was lying on his stomach, and then placed his hands together, imitating his own father's "thinking" pose. There were many ways to find out where his father was, and it was time that he began to exhaust some of them. There was the Hokage, the man was known for his honesty and would likely give him a more relateable story than anyone else wou-.

_"I can promise that everything's going to be alright. And I can promise that you'll be just fine, Shikadai."_

Shikadai grit his teeth. He had lied before, he would likely lie to him again.

There were other members of the higher echelons of the Hidden Leaf's government that he could ask, he supposed. The former Hokage Kakashi usually was friendly, although he might be suspicious due to the circumstances of their last meeting. Sasuke would likely be the same way. Sakura was out of the question. Come to think of it, most of the elders he knew would likely turn him away at the door.

That left records of his father's passing. If there was anything amiss, there'd likely be some sort of account of it in the newer archives. The only problem was that ever since he had been there, there had been heightened security in the area. The amount of ways he could find out the truth about his father were getting slim...

"Shikadai! You might want to come get something before it gets cold!"

He rolled his eyes. She wouldn't be a good idea either, as the last time he had asked she had asked her she hadn't given him a clear answer. It was beginning to seem as if none of the adults would ever tell him the trut-.

Unless of course, he spied on them.

"Shikadai? Come on, let's go get some food."

Shikadai smirked to himself, and then slowly got off the ground. He _was _a Genin-in-training, after all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As night came upon the desert travellers, Shikamaru quickly realized that it was his time to leave.

From his estimation, he was half way towards Konohagakure, and halfway away from Sunagakure. For him, it would be best to get away from his current group and go the rest of the journey alone, lest his cover be fully revealed. The men he had rode with were friendly enough, but he was sure that the moment they found out who he truly was, that those jovial and open grins would turn into looks of hatred and jealousy.

By now, however, Shikamaru wondered if he really did deserve those looks and their hatred. But for now, he couldn't let himself become slow.

The group of five were readying themselves to stop, and he slowly gathered his wits. Earlier, he had mentioned to them that there would be a time that he would have to leave them a bit earlier than their own destination, but he hadn't exactly told them when that time would be. All of his earlier conversations with them had been civil, so as the sun began to finally set in the sky, he was sure that he would be able to make a clean slip away.

So when the rest of them began to stop, he kept going, slowly moving himself to the front of the mini caravan. Once he was in front, with all of their eyes on him, he cleared his throat, and then began his speech.

"It's time for us to go our separate ways."

As he has expected, none of the group in front of him gave much of an objection. It was the way of many travellers in the desert, he supposed. Most "alliances" only lasted for little whiles.

With that, he turned himself around to leave, but before he could, a voice from the travellers came to him.

"Wait... you're heading _that _way?"

Shikamaru turned his head. The man who had spoken up was much older than the others, he could tell by the grey in his beard. He nodded.

"It's where my contract needs me to be."

The other man shook his head.

"Some contract you've got," he muttered. "Konohagakure's hard to trade with nowadays. They're too fortified, you know, really suspicious of Sunagakure traders because of the war and all..."

Shikamaru raised a brow behind his head wrap, curious to how the man knew that he was going to Konohagakure _specifically. _Nonetheless, he had to get far away from the group before it was too dark for him to see anything.

"I'm not heading there directly. I think first I'll see to some of the river towns, and then maybe head to some other forest villages for provisions..."

The old man in front of him seemed to suspect nothing, and simply nodded.

"Just make sure you keep yourself warm and safe out there. What do they say... the desert is a cruel mistress?"

Shikamaru smirked. _You could say that, I guess. _

"Thanks for your kindness."

Shikamaru turned his camel and then began to go down the sand dune that he was on, and rode on in the direction of Konohagakure. He didn't stop nor turn back until a long while, when he was sure that the men who had accompanied him were gone and out of view. Once he was sure that they were gone...

He dismounted his animal.

The camel paused for a few moments, not sure what to do without a master, before Shikamaru harshly slapped it's rear. When the animal cried out and began to run in another direction, Shikamaru ran in a different one, rushing towards a different part of the desert. As he ran, he looked down and onto the sand.

Like he had predicted, the beast was making tracks in another direction. He was rushing on the sand light enough that he made no footprints. If anyone were to try and follow him, they would likely end up following his camel instead. Once his camel was out of view, he began to move ahead, trying to find any source of shelter.

His walk was long and hard, and the coldness of the desert's night wasn't making it any easier. Eventually, however, with shivering hands and shortening breath, he made his way into a rocky part of the desert, full of dunes, small cliffs and shallow caves. His feet began to drag as he found a cave that was small and well hidden from a random, wary traveller, he made his way in, and kept on dragging his feet until he found a piece of the cavern that was dark enough.

And that was where he collapsed.

He let out a growl, and then placed his hands to his sides. The torture from earlier was coming back to him, and he feared that whatever aches he had felt earlier were much worse than simple pains. If it was something internal, then he had no doubt that he wouldn't be able to get back to Konohagakure without any other method of help.

He longed to stand up again, but it was dark, and he couldn't find any supports in the cave with him. His lighter had been confiscated the day that he had been taken captive, and the only things he had with him was stolen clothes. He remembered now, even his headband, and not to mention _Temari's_, had been taken from him. His ninja tools, his special kunai, _everything. _And he barely still had his life.

But he had to calm himself, taking deep breathes, and focusing on keeping the pain within him. He was always home, halfway back to his Kage, his friends, his son. Once he was home, he would be able to fix everything. He would be able to tart fixing everything that was broken. He could do it... that was what he believed.

He felt another pain in his chest, and let out a soft groan, beginning to close his eyes to welcome sleep. Maybe that was all he had left, now. His _beliefs._

It would have to be enough for him, just for now.

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Once again, thank you all for reading! Next chapter should be out by November 23rd, and it's going to be a complicated one. You'll see. Remember to R&amp;R if you can!_


	38. Light

_AN: Time for another part!_

_**I do not own Naruto**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"So you mean...?"

From her position in front of the Hokage's desk, Shiho could do nothing but continue her light and excited smile. It wasn't very often that shinobi could give each other _good _news, at least in this day and age.

"The measurements of the man that Choji and Ino brought in did _not _match the ones we have recorded for Shikamaru. Further investigation showed that the cigarettes that he held with him didn't have any fingerprint matches to him, and instead they matched to a different member of the Nara clan. Either Shikamaru grew exponentially in the last 8 months, a slim, yet possible occurrence... or the man we have in the morgue is _not _Shikamaru."

And then, for the first time in a long while, Naruto found himself smiling as well.

Mornings in the Hokage Office usually brought nothing but sorrow and pain. The mornings were when the overnight patrol reports came in, when Shinobi were send off to missions, some missions resulting in their ends, and when some ninja returned _from _their missions, usually giving off reports of casualties and losses. In the five years that he had been in charge of the war, he had slowly gotten used to the monotony and dour that occurred during the morning, tempered his feelings to greet theirs, and slowly had begun to lose the very thing that he was once noted for. And in the days that Shikamaru had been considered dead, his attitude and mood had only seemed to get worse.

But, as Shiho gave her report in front of him, for the first time in a long while he felt calmer. Because perhaps Shikamaru's status was proof that at the very least, Konohagakure was doing _something _right.

Ever the skeptic, Sasuke narrowed his eyes harshly at the woman in front of him.

"Nothing's for certain," he spat. "The body could be mismatched, but the fact still remains that Shikamaru hasn't been seen for at least two weeks. He just randomly disappears during a Genjutsu, and then doesn't make contact with anyone from our side for _two weeks. _Add that to the fact that our scouts haven't even been able to catch a _whiff _of him ever since you began to send out scouts. The situation doesn't leave too many options open to us."

Naruto leaned back into his chair, and then moved his eyes to study Sasuke's face. Always the more serious of the two. But, even as he tried his best to stay in the reality of it all, Naruto could still sense a feeling of relief under his features. Sasuke was just as glad of the news that Shiho had brought as Naruto was.

"And what are these options that this news brings us?" Naruto asked lazily. He himself was too clouded with the fact that his friend wasn't dead to truly care about the now.

"Just two. Either Shikamaru is _dead, _and that we just haven't found his corpse, or that he's alive... and doing something _else."_

Naruto nearly stood up and out of his chair.

"What are you implying-."

"Don't play coy, Lord Hokage. We all know what has happened to Shikamaru in the past month."

For a few moments, Naruto tried to figure out exactly what Sasuke was referring to. Of course, he was usually a blunt man, and he was sure to make his feelings known to him ever since Naruto had chosen him as an adviser. And then it hit him, one of the possibilities that he was talking about...

"...Shiho, we're done here. Thanks for the news."

"Is there anything you need me to do out of the ordinary?"

"No, not at all. The man you have in your possession is still a dead man, find out who he really is and then notify his family of his passing. Then... you know how to move on from there."

Shiho quickly left the office. Suddenly, the two could hear the air conditioning in the room turn on. Naruto moved his eyes back towards Sasuke, and frowned.

"...Shikamaru wouldn't do that..."

Sasuke huffed, and then stood up straighter than he had been.

"I wouldn't put it past him."

"It's against his character, he's not like that-."

"His own son tried to do similar-."

"And that's his _son, _man," Naruto emphasized. By now, his tone was revealing his annoyance and embarrassment at the conversation.

"It would make no sense that he would stop his son, and then run out and do the very same thing." 

"It would if he didn't want his son to get involved with _his _business," the taller man continued. He slowly moved himself from Naruto's side to stand in front of his desk. "He always did place more responsibility on himself than he needed to. He might have wanted to dissuade his son from acting, so that he could do the deed, and handle all of the fallout from it, by himself-."

"It just doesn't make sense. He wouldn't just leave, pretend to be dead, and go without _telling _anyone-."

"He did nearly the same _before."_

Naruto cook a deep breath in, thinking back to the _incident _before. Sasuke wasn't pulling any strings. Shikamaru _had _run off to avenge someone he loved without telling others, but at the very least he had brought his friends with him half of the way.

Maybe it wasn't out of character for him to be acting this way.

"...Why would he abandon his village in the middle of a war...?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"That detail _does _place my theory out of sync, but it could still be possible. He was getting better... but he still wasn't _right _the last time we saw him. Most signs point to that being a possibility."

"He could _still _be missing, though-"

"He's an adult. I'm sure he knows how to return home."

"I wasn't thinking of that. He could be captured..."

There was a sickly silence in the room, before Sasuke began to shake his head vehemently.

"He wouldn't let himself get captured," he muttered. "Not after he'd seen Sunagakure's handiwork."

"There's always that possibility. And it might not matter if he wanted it to happen or not."

"But is it a better theory than mine?"

"... I would like to believe so." Naruto paused, and then slowly turned the computer on his desk off.

"... We need to see if we can get into contact with Gaara, and if he will release the names of the prisoners he has."

"If he _does _have Shikamaru, why wouldn't he have used him as blackmail yet?" He muttered. His mind tried to think of alternatives, as he hated this line of thinking. "He would've gloated about having him by now-."

"We have Kankuro in custody, and we haven't done any of that. He could be holding him for ulterior motives."

"Such as-."

"We remember what Shikamaru _did. _It's not too unreasonable to suggest that they'd hold him there as a point of revenge, is it?"

Naruto slowly stood up in his chair, and then narrowed his eyes.

"...You're... this theory sounds much better than the last. But at least he's not dead, and we can still find him and get him back."

Sasuke nodded, and Naruto slowly moved himself to get out of his chair, and turn back on the monitor on his computer.

"What do you order us to do, then?" Sasuke pondered. To answer this, his Hokage looked towards him again.

"Immediately call back the scouts that we sent out before... and then send out some new ones. Get some Jonin to survey Sunagakure's perimeter from a safe distance away, to survey is there is anything different about their patrol patterns and the actions of the guardian shinobi on their walls. See if you can find a group that you can send undercover into Sunagakure, to find out any information on Shikamaru's whereabouts..."

Naruto then gave out a sigh of relief.

"...And then tell everyone who was concerned about this that Shikamaru's still out there. I'm sure that it'll increase morale... for once in this damn war..."

Sasuke nodded, and then moved himself to leave Naruto's office, giving off his own sigh of relief once he was out of it. Even if the news only gave them more trouble, it was still comforting to at least know that Shikamaru was still out there somewhere. It was possible that they had finally done something in a while that hadn't ended up in a disaster.

And he knew who else would be intrigued by this news.

"...Shikadai I know you're there. You can come on out now."

From his position just above the air ducts in the ceiling, the boy nearly gave out an audible yelp.

_How did he know? _He thought, slowly trying to move himself backwards into the vent. It made sense, he supposed. Sasuke Uchiha was a Jonin, and he could probably sense the boy's erratic and new chakra flow from a mile away. Not to mention the fact that he was nowhere as stealthy as he would've needed to be to pull off a "mission" such as this, and vents made enough noise for the man to know what was going on. Nonetheless, he still continued to crawl backwards, until he heard Sasuke's deep voice again.

"If you don't come down, I'll just come up and get you. Don't play around."

Immediately after the order, the boy slowly pushed open a section of the air duct, and then, through a crack, slipped himself down into and onto the Hokage Building's hallway. He landed on the floor in front of Sasuke with more force than he wanted to, and felt himself being pressure cooked under the Uchiha's dark eyes. The last time the two had met, the man had, quite rightly, chewed him out on his decisions and actions, but in retrospect, it was his talking down to and his actions that had saved his life. But it was still awkward and uncomfortable to be in front of the man now. Shikadai couldn't' tell what he thought of him through his eyes...

"...Now what exactly did you hear while you were up there?"

Shikadai gulped. In his mind the day before, doing something this like seemed to had been a good idea. Who else would've known more about the disappearance of his father than the Hokage himself? However, he had underestimated the security in the Hokage building, and there was no way through the air ducts in the ceiling to enter the Hokage's office. Going in through a window would've been dangerous, and there was a high chance of him being detected. Finally, it would've been a stupid idea to just go in through the front door. It seemed that his best method would just to have waited outside the door, and to see if the conversation within the room got loud enough for him to hear. But...

Shikadai gave an uneasy smile.

"... My old man's still alive."

Sasuke softened his jaw. _Good. I can break it to him in a good way, then. _His face was still rock solid as he began to relay what information he found appropriate to the child.

"That's right. The lead that we had before suggesting that he was dead turned out to be someone else. As of now, we have theories on where he could be, and ideas on how we're going to help him return." He paused.

"You should, we should, expect more information on his whereabouts within the next two weeks. Until then, just know that your Father's fine."

_Or rather, he should be fine. _Sasuke kept his face stern and serious, but on the inside he couldn't help but feel a tinge of joy as he watched Shikadai's face light up just a little bit more. In this war, many children had been orphaned, many women widowed, many men turned widower. It was good that, at least for once, someone was receiving _good _news.

Shikadai gave out a small smile of relief, before Sasuke brought him back to reality.

"...But you do realize that what you did was _illegal_. Only certified shinobi are allowed in these hallways, and you're barely a Genin. This _**could **_result in a write up."

He watched as Shikadai clenched his teeth, before he finished his sentence.

"Sir. I was just-."

"_It's better than what you did last time._" Sasuke barked. "Just... don't do it again. Another aggression like this and you _will be _fined."

Shikadai gulped, then nodded. Sasuke moved forwards, and then placed a hand on the boy's back, slowly pushing him forwards in the direction of the exit.

"Come on. Before anyone else sees you."

Despite his hate of being man-handled, Shikadai let himself be pushed ahead. Quietly, he took pleasure in the fact that he had at least had more concrete evidence that his father really was just late, and that soon the two would likely meet each other again.

Watching his small body try it's best to look firm and adult, Sasuke finally let a smile come through.

_...Jeez Shikamaru. Despite all your complaints of things being Troublesome, your son sure is..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru Nara woke up to the sensation of a droplet of water falling down onto his face.

His eyes opened slowly, and once he made the motions he found that despite his rest, he still felt as weak as he had the night before. His sides still ached from his torture days ago, and his chest especially still made him feel light-headed and tired. Even as he slowly pushed himself up so that his back was in the air, he found that the pains wouldn't stop, and shortly after his attempt, he fell back onto the ground again, making a loud thud of a sound.

_...Fuck._

He couldn't tell how much had passed since he had arrived at the cave, and it was all the more reason to push himself to get up. He couldn't tell if it had been hours or days that he had been out, and time had became everything to him the moment he had left Sunagakure. It was only a matter of time until Gaara sent shinobi after him. It was only a matter of time before the shinobi found out that his camel trick was in fact a diversion. It was only a matter of time before they caught his trail. If he didn't get into the Land of Fire soon, it would only be a matter of time before they caught _him._

And if he couldn't get proper medical attention soon, it would only be a matter of time before his wounds ended up killing him.

He took a deep breath in, and then tried his best to normalize his breathing pattern. All of the running and riding he had been doing in the days before had destabilized his lungs, he thought, and he needed to get himself back into the pattern of extraneous work. Breathing better would also likely help his chakra flow, and his chakra flow would help him fight off any pursuers who _did _catch his trail. It was only a matter of time, after all.

Eventually, he felt brave and strong enough to try and move again. Slowly, he reached his hands out in front of him, and pulled himself up, straight backed and firm. He found himself having to cough heavily to try and get the kinks out, but soon he was feeling spry enough to slowly move himself onto his feet. His legs ended up aching more than his chest had, but despite this pain, he found himself able to stand up straight and tall. He took a few steps away from his previous area, and then began to look around the cave he was in.

It was an... odd kind of beautiful. Around him, certain rocks on the ceiling sparkled, and others stayed dull, as if they too wished to defer detection. There was little natural light, but the bit that did come in was coming from in front of him, a small sliver of light pouring out from behind the rock that partially blocked the entrance to the cave. He could barely see the outside, but it didn't matter. He had to leave now, and had little time to truly reflect on the beauty that was around him.

Slowly, he began to move himself towards the exit.

He clenched the wall next to him, and moved his feet forwards one at a time. The sound of his feet shuffling and scuffing against the ground below echoed throughout the cave, but he couldn't care at the moment. The most important fact that was he was moving, getting ever so much closer to his goal. Once he was out of the cave, he would have to make another mad-dash towards the Land of Wind's border, and only in the forests of his homeland would he have a decent chance at fully getting away. So he continued to walk, on and on. Moving until he was in front of the giant boulder that blocked outside eyes from prying inside the cave, into the final natural "hallway", it being long, but more well lit, and towards the light. Holding the walls around him for dear life.

"... _Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand, Shikamaru."_

Shikamaru immediately stopped in his tracks. His eyes slowly widened as he matched the sudden, yet _familiar _voice to one that he had heard so many times before, and his head slowly looked forwards, the direction that the voice had come from. The moment he matched the voice, he began to feel sick to his stomach. He wanted to run away, but he knew it was pointless. If he was truly in front of him... then it was all over.

"... _I know you can hear me. __Answer__."_

Shikamaru watched in terror as he saw a shadow block his light. The cave entrance was large enough that the sun punctuated the appearance of the man who had stepped in front of him, making him look scarier than he probably was at this moment in time. Whatever efforts Naruto had made in their childhood seemed to have been completely void in this moment, as his eyes had reverted to how they had been, all those years and decades ago. His back was slightly hunched to make him appear taller than he was, and his face revealed that it was likely he hadn't gotten much meaningful sleep in the past few days. His hands were calm and loose, for now, and his murderous gaze was fixed entirely on Shikamaru. They met eye to eye. Their auras clashed.

Gaara seemed to have forgotten his Kazekage hat at the village.

"_...Well?"_

_"..._You need my information."

Shikamaru slowly tried to push himself off the wall that he leaned on, but, upon realizing that he still wasn't strong enough to stand up tall, settled on balancing his body off of it, trying to appear stronger than he really was. His eyes focused on Gaara's, as he tried to do the only thing he knew he could do in this position. It didn't need to be said, if Gaara lost the little composure he did have and attack him, the leader of the Nara clan would die quickly. But at the same time, there was nothing he himself could do to get away from him. He blocked the only entrance to the cave, and even if he could get past him, he was far too weak to be able to run fast enough to outpace the Kazekage. He was entirely and utterly cornered, his existence wholly in another's keeping.

The only thing he could do is try to appeal to his better nature.

"If you kill me now, you'll never get the info you're looking for." Shikamaru slowly tempered his voice to try and keep it from shaking, but as he listened to himself, he realized how much he was failing at his attempt. "I'm the only high-ranking member of Konohagakure's government that you have, and will likely ever have. If you kill me, then you'll also be killing any chance you have at winning this war."

Gaara simply stared at him for many moments. Behind his feet, on the sand of outside, Shikamaru could see the sand begin to swirl, as if it was moving according to the mood of it's owner. Shikamaru silently gulped, hoping that Gaara would take the bait. As per usual, in his mind he began to go over the many scenarios that could take place. He could be recaptured again, and this time tortured more harshly as punishment for his escape attempt. Or he could be killed, this being a punishment for his escape attempt.

Neither of the outcomes were what Shikamaru wanted, but he would try the hardest he could to get the result that would end with him still being _alive. _Being alive allowed more possibilities. He could be rescued, he could try to escape again...

"..."

Gaara continued his silence for a few moments longer, his gaze towards him slowly going blank, before it returned to his look of anger and confusion.

"...You've... humiliated me... many times before... _Nara._" The Kazekage's voice reminded Shikamaru of a man spitting, and he struggled to keep his strong composure as he felt the wounds on his body threaten to open up again.

"First, you kill many of my people. Then you _lie about your involvement. _Then you kill _more _of my people. Then you steal away my sister for _ten _years, during which you've killed _more _people, stolen countless artifacts, stolen _more lives, _and brainwashed her, making her think that the rhetoric your village spews was anything close to the truth. Then, when fate comes for you, you _**cheat **_it, like the coward you are, and cause it to take your own _**wife **_instead. I finally get you into my hands, finally you can pay for all of your sins, I offer you a final chance to give in, and I offer what _**you **_want. You deny. Then you deny me what _**I want**_,__and then you _**run away, **_and make me look like a damn **fool **in front of my own village. _**And you think some damn information is going to save your life, after all that!?"**_

___...__I'm, by all odds, dead now._

Shikamaru took a step back instinctively, but he knew that it would do no good but to make the man in front of him more enraged. It seemed like his attempt to appeal to Gaara did nothing but wound his ego, something that he had also developed during the war, and confirm whatever thought process he had been going through. He looked back to the bottom of Gaara's feet again, and this time saw that the sand was fully in the air now, and swirling madly. This was it, then. Gaara wasn't going to take him back to the village now.

Gaara was going to kill him.

With this knowledge, Shikamaru slowly pushed himself off the wall he leaned on, embracing the pain, and stood up straight in front of the Kazekage. No... he wouldn't do that. If he wanted to kill Shikamaru, he would've done it while he was passed out. Gaara probably had a more sinister motive to waking him up and shocking him like this was probably his own attempt to take hold of the situation.

Shikamaru nodded slowly, playing along. He ventured his next words carefully.

"...If I've pissed you off so much... then go ahead and kill me. I've already told you the reasons why you can't."

Gaara spent a few moments staring at Shikamaru, before taking a deep breath in, and letting out a cold and bitter chuckle.

"...That's what you'd want... isn't it? To die... to be reunited with _her _again?"

Shikamaru grit his teeth, and yet Gaara simply continued to speak.

"_**No... **_I was right. All that time ago. You're... not going to die. You're not going to _escape _either. You're coming back with us to the village... and this time you're doing everything that _I _say."

Shikamaru continued to look behind Gaara, trying to deny the darkness he already knew he was trapped within. He knew there was no escape from the man in front of him, at least not now. And Gaara's attitude wasn't making anything better.

Behind his legs, the sand behind Gaara began to fidget and tremor.

"... Take a few more steps off of the wall."

_Made up his mind quicker than usual._

Shikamaru looked down at his battered and tired hands, and then took a deep, long sigh. He had been caught red handed, and there was really nothing else that he could do to try and deny, or to get away from the man in front of him. It was inevitable. A fate worse than death. He would return to the hot pokers, the stretching, the cutting and the beatings. It really didn't matter how much he resisted.

All men had their limit.

Despite the inevitability, he couldn't' give up just yet. So when Gaara sent his sand towards him, it running at a speed comparable to sound, Shikamaru ducked out of the way, throwing himself the best he could towards the opposite end of the cave. Still low and on the ground, he moved himself towards the entrance of the cave, hoping to get past Gaara due to his height, only for the Kazekage to harshly kick the man when he was close enough. Shikamaru felt his back crash against the entrance of the cave, and Gaara would only continue his assault, using his sand to lift the man up, and throwing him away, out of the cave and onto the desert's sand.

He fell on his back when he was thrown to the sand, and quickly tried to scramble around to get back onto his feet again, before feeling the kick of another boot hit him in his jaw. Shikamaru took the pain in silence, and focused his eyes on his surroundings, to see that Gaara had thrown him in the middle of a team of Sand Shinobi, likely the ones that had come along with him in the first place. He panicked immediately, and tried to move himself again, before another shinobi stomped on his face. He heard a dog begin to bark as he scrambled around on the ground, and, though he had enough time to get on his hands and knees again, the sand instantly hardened before he could take a singular movement forwards. He heard the crunch of sand, and as the desert's sun began to beat down on him once again, Gaara's voice returned.

"By the time I'm done with you, you're going to be _crying..."_

_What the hell am I doing!? _

Shikamaru spat onto the desert's floor, before he felt a heavy foot begin to press into his back. Around him, he heard jeers and cheers, before he collapsed onto the ground.

It was over. He was _lost._

The foot on his back pressed him deeper into the sand.

"I gave you a chance before, didn't I? I warned you that this would happen..."

Indeed he did.

Shikamaru made one last attempt at holding his freedom, and pulled harshly on his bound right hand, reaching out in front of him, as if he was trying to latch onto his village and pull himself home. But it was too far. It was too late.

Shikadai would have to wait. Shikamaru would have to endure.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_AN: Sorry for the slightly late and slightly shorter than normal chapter! I had a lot of things to do during school and it was hard to get into the groove of writing. My next chapter should come out on the week of December 6-12, and I'm planning on writing a special "double chapter' for December 25th. Thank you again for reading, please R&amp;R if you can, and I hope to see you next time! _


	39. Cages

_Welcome to Part 39!_

_Finally the parts can begin to get longer, and things are really, really going to start picking up soon. I'm warning you that the next week chapters are definitely going to get more gory, but it's going to end up being good as well._

_Also, I would like to apologize for the delay again, as last week I had a lot of things appear during the week. I was supposed to update this story on Friday, but I needed to weekend to make my necessary revisions. It's good now, and I'm still looking forwards to release at least one chapter on Christmas Day (December 25th). The Christmas Chapter(s) is/are going to be very important to the plot, so be sure ti check in on December the 25th!_

_**I do not own Naruto**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"_**Talk****.**_"

Shikamaru simply kept his mouth closed, biting down hard on the inside of his cheeks to try and keep himself from crying out. To try and keep himself calm. To try and keep himself from showing anymore emotion or weakness, even as his body began to shake, and his facade began to break. His eyes were already a sickly red colour, and his cheeks were beginning to be flushed with the fluid as well, his body breaking on the inside and out. But, despite all of his, he couldn't tell himself that he was surprised.

This _was _what he expected might happen if he failed in his escape attempt.

When his silence continued, the man in front of him beat his face with the scorching poker that was in his hand, and Shikamaru sucked in a breath. The pain that was associated with the blow was great, but he kept himself kneeling, and his back tall.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed since he had been recaptured. From the time he had been knocked unconscious to the time he had woken up in the torture chamber, he hadn't been able to suspect a thing. But the escalation of his condition had been unsuspecting. He had no time to rest between him exerting himself from running, and him being back at the mercy of his captors. But of course, they truly hated him. It made sense that he wouldn't be given a chance to re-.

Before he could think further, he felt another instance of the hot poker slamming against his right cheek, and this time he had to put his hands out in front of him to pretend himself from falling fully to the floor. He recovered to his knees quickly, and opened his eyes to resurvey his surroundings. The three men who were torturing him the last time where present, and, near the back of the room, sitting on a stool and looking detached from the entire situation, was Gaara. As with the times that he had been present before, he seemed to only be there for intimidation.

At this thought, the head of the Nara clan spat on the ground, his saliva being laden with his own blood at this point. He had kept eye contact with Gaara as he did this, almost as if to prove a point. _No matter how much you do this to me, I'm not telling you shit. _His oppressor in front of him caught onto this, and greeted him with another smash to the face, this one being rougher than the last.

"Show respect to the Kazekage!" He snapped. This time, Shikamaru wasn't able to put his hands in front of him quick enough, and so ended up falling face first to the ground below him. He scrambled to get back onto his feet, or at least knees, but he felt one of the other torturers grab him by his shoulder, his chest being bare, and then, after pulling him up, shove a rough knife into his chest, and slowly make an incision. The leaf shinobi grit his teeth at this, so hard that he could almost feel them begin to shave off, and this helped keep him strong as he felt another cudgel smash into his face again. This time, he coughed, his harsh breathes being laden with his blood.

By now, he was feeling as if he was going to perish and die. To make matters worse, the longer the session went on, the harder and harder he found it to think. His mind was working itself into a headache at the moment, and the only thing that he was doing was getting beaten. It was a familiar feeling; it happened every time he had his sessions, but now it felt as if it was affecting him more than ever before. Idly, he remembered that he hadn't eaten in a few days, and the only thing he had drunk was taken in likely only a little more recently than that. He needed a break, and fast.

As he remembered this, he felt another smack to his face.

This time, he didn't fall down, and instead kept himself firm. His teeth had been in a position that caused him to bite his lip from the blow, and his mouth bled along with the other parts of his body. He balled his fists at his side, and tried to move them, before the chains on his arms rattled, reminding himself of his condition. Again, he felt a blow to his head, this time from the back, and he fell onto the ground again.

"As we were on again... we want your _words, Butcher. _Sentences. Of _information. _**Talk."**

Shikamaru scrambled on the floor, before looking up directly at Gaara again. The man's expression was like a blank slate, but he could still feel the hatred in his eyes. The condemnation. Shikamaru had embarrassed him from his escape attempt, and him being tortured so soon after was his way of proving to both him and the rest of his village that he was still in charge. He was sure of it. He-.

An extended session of his stares caused Gaara to finally react to him. He slowly raised himself from his stool and walked over to where Shikamaru was, lying on his stomach on the ground, sputtering softly for breath. When he was close, the other interrogators moved out of his way seamlessly, and Gaara ended up looking down on the man on the ground the same way he had done the first time these "sessions" began. His emotionless facade faded into an angry glare, and when he spoke, Shikamaru shook in instinctively.

"...Stop looking at me and start answering their questions."

The man on the ground could do the only thing he had left.

"... Fuck you."

Those days ago, however long they had been, he had been so close. If he hadn't been so weak, if he hadn't slept for so long, if he had been a little more careful with his planning and where he chose to rest his head, then he might have been able to get away. He would have been able to return to Konohagakure, get the help he needed, and continue his work. He would've bee safe. He would've been with his son.

But, because of the actions and tenacity of the man who now stood over him, looking down at him as if he were a God looking down on a rat, he couldn't be there. He couldn't be free. And his pains were getting worse. And the only way out would be by doing something that the man would _never do. _

His actions were responded to with a calm ease.

"Fuck _me? _No... fuck _you, _Shikamaru. Andall of your little rebellions. We all know how this is going to end. We've known since before your escape attempt..."

Nara's head ached, and Gaara slowly moved the sand under him away, replacing it with a different, less gory portion of it. Once it was replaced, he used the new sand to snake in-between his arms, casing both of them in sand. The man on the ground shuddered, reminded of the last time Gaara had done this, and his memories only turned darker when he continued to speak.

"Now, let's start the ending. Where is your main base of operations in the Land of Wind? Your attacks are too frequent for one to simply not exist-"

"..."

"Silence, hm? I'll repeat myself."

The sand encasing Shikamaru's arms began to crunch his skin. Colliding with his body, causing him a sudden stab of pain. He wouldn't cry out. He was stronger than that. At least, that was what he wished to believe.

"It's but one of the questions we have for you today. Where is it?"

"..."

Shikamaru truly had no idea what he could do now, other than continue to resist. At his continued silence, Gaara continued to squeeze him. He grit his teeth and shut his eyes, but otherwise made no other sounds.

"_**Speak. You're wasting our time here."**_

Gradually, the pain in his arms began to increase, but the man on the ground would do nothing. His face and body were already messes. The last thing he'd do would be giving Gaara the satisfaction of seeing him cry out again, or what he truly wanted.

Before Gaara could do anything else, there was a harsh knocking at a door. Or a wall. It could've been from anywhere, where Shikamaru was sprawled on the floor, he couldn't see a thing. Gaara heard the knocking, and then swivelled his head in the same direction, momentarily forgetting all about the man at his feet.

"Who is it!? This had better be important!"

His voice was more harsh than any tone that Shikamaru had heard him refer to his fellow Sunans before. His headache began to increase, and he barely heard the answer to his question.

"...Sir... you had an appointment..."

"_**It can wait!**_" Gaara snapped. He began to increase the pressure on Shikamaru's arms again.

"Sir... it's an _important _appointment."

Gaara's head snapped back towards the door, but something was different this time. His hard eyes began the same way, but slowly turned soft after a brief few moments, as he began to remember exactly what was going on. After his emotions had changed, he looked around the room he was in, as if he were lost, or as if he was confused. During this, the other interrogators in the room simply looked at their Kazekage in the same method, being confused by his lack of action.

Until he gave some.

"... Take the bastard back to his cell. I have.. other duties I must attend to."

And almost as quickly as the session had started, Shikamaru watched as Gaara wordlessly left the room, his feet taking him away in a hurry. Once the door slammed to signal his exit, Shikamaru couldn't take anymore of the pain, and let himself fall back into his black abyss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's not big enough."

"Oh?"

"It has to be _huge, _Shiori. It has to... be taller than buildings. That's the only way it's going to be effective."

Ino watched the little confrontation from her position, leaning herself up against a wall that she truly couldn't feel. The memory that she had been able to infiltrate now seemed to be a more recent one, at least more recent than all of the others. And, unlike most of the others, there seemed to be more information in this one.

The scene was one that she had been in before, Kankuro's workshop. There were schematics of various puppets hung on the walls and his desk was littered with erratic pencil shavings and dust. The lights in the room were much brighter than they had been the last time that Ino had viewed the scene, and for once Kankuro wasn't sitting at his drafting table. Instead, he was leaning over it, as another person drew drafts on the table in front of him. However, that person had stopped for the moment, and was now turned around to address the much taller man who spoke to her.

Ino noticed that her stomach was swollen. Could that mean...?

"How are you expecting to run this by Gaara?" She asked. Ino squinted her eyes, noticing that her face and mannerisms were all familiar. Then, she remembered who she was. Kankuro _had _referred to her as _Shiori, _after all.

Pregnant and in Kankuro's home. Just after Ino had seen a memory of him being quite smitten with her. She couldn't help but smirk, but quickly afterwards she found herself conflicted. As it had been when she found out of Okuni's existence, it was another thing she could use.

Kankuro screwed up his face, and then shook his hands.

"I don't know. I'll think about that later. But for now, all I know is that it's got to be bigger. It's got to be thicker too, now that I think about it. Add a few metres of thickness to each side, especially the head and arms."

Shiori nodded, and then turned herself around to continue to draw. Ino looked towards her hand to try and find anymore clues to their possible union, and then noticed that she was wearing a ring on her ring finger. Her eyes snapped towards Kankuro's own hand, and she saw a similar band on it, with a faint engraving that she could barely see from where she sat. _It's official, _she thought.

After a few moments, Shiori lifted her head, and then turned back to her husband, who had moved closer to her so that he was standing directly behind her.

"This any better?"

Kankuro eyed the blueprint, then shook his head fiercely.

"Come on, hon. You know better than this, and you know exactly what I want."

He slowly moved himself so that he was closer to the blueprint, and then began to lightly sketch over the sides of the image, making it thicker.

"It's supposed to be big and intimidating. It can't be nay less than ten feet high-"

"Ten feet?-"

"And to be honest, it should be about as tall as the Kazekage Mansion-"

"Kank-"

"And it has to be thick and impenetrable."

"Kankuro!"

Kankuro stopped his scribbling, and then turned to her.

"What's wrong? Are you alright? Maybe I need to grab you something-"

"No! It's not that, it's just..."

Shiori let out a soft sigh, and then leaned herself back into the chair that she was sitting on. Ino noted that it was a different chair from the last time she had seen his workshop, deeper, and with cushions. She also noted that they were both wearing quite casual clothes.

"Why does it need to be so grandiose? Do we really need to make something this big? "

"Of course, how else is it supposed to be effective?"

"We have other ones-"

"But they're smaller, and they're not... doomsday-y enough."

Shiori gave him a look.

"...Really. Doomsday-y?"

Kankuro gave her a playful grin in return.

"Well, I could call it destructive if you'd like."

"That's better. But why does it needs to be like that? All of this... hon it seems more like a waste of resources. We already have our own defences, and they're good enough-."

"_Good Enough _isn't _Enough _anymore."

"It's going to have to be. We just don't have that many resources le-"

Suddenly, Shiori lurched forwards, and placed her hands to cover her mouth. Kankuro rose with her and put his arms around her as she began to cough harshly, and Ino took this chance to lean forwards and look at the work that the two had done on the draft in front of them.

"Are you alright!?"

"Mm, Kank, I don't feel so good...-"

Ino looked over the schematics in front of her, and tried her best to make a mental memory of them, for when she left the memory. She saw the familiar snake design that she had seen before, albeit now the measurements were for longer amounts, and the design was slightly thicker. Both Shiori's and Kankuro's etchings overlapped with each other, but it was easy to tell the difference between his smooth extensions and her rough edges. The snake was detailed, there were multiple portions and segments of it's body where the authors explained what would happen if the particular segment was used, and many of the segments had hidden daggers and needles. There wasn't anywhere where it was said how the thing would be controlled, but Ino predicted that it would be controlled like a normal puppet, from afar-.

And that was all that she could collect before Shiori threw up onto the table in front of her.

Kankuro immediately went away, and when he returned her brought with him a few towels. Shiori collapsed into her chair again, but before she could sit down Kankuro had wrapped her in one of the blankets, and then used the other one to wipe her mouth clean. He threw that towel onto the table in front of him, effectively covering the schematics from Ino's view, and then began to pat her back lightly.

"Are you alright?!" Ino's brow tensed, and she moved closer to the schematics to try and see if there was any way to continue to look at them, perhaps by moving the towels that covered them. But, being ethereal, she could not. She tensed her teeth, and turned herself back to the new couple.

"I'm- I'm fine-."

"You're clearly not," Kankuro snapped. "Maybe... maybe you should rest. I can finish the schematics and I'll join you in a bit-."

"No, I'm just... Kankuro... why do we _need _something like this? You're acting as if this would help much at all."

"It would. You'll understand better once I show you the full picture."

"No, I mean... this is... it'd be one person, Kank. Puppets can only be controlled by one person at a time."

"In most cases yes."

"So what makes you think that _one _person could fight against, possibly, an _entire village, _and still win?"

"Because the weapon we're making is special," Kankuro said simply. By now, he had knelt so that he was on her level, and continued to hold her close to him, trying to comfort her. Ino was partially amused that he didn't seem to mind that his wife had completely ruined his diagrams. "We've both been through shit, we've both seen shit. With enough backing from the Kazekage and enough resources, we could make something that might change the outcome of the war. Or at the very least make it a bit easier."

"Yeah, but... We don't need to pour resources into this." Shiori lightly snaked a hand around Kankuro's shoulders as well, returning the comfort and the favour. "And lately... well... you've been acting more erratic since our wedding. Maybe you should take a break from all these plans and plots...?"

"If _you _wont take a break, then I wont. That's not the way it works."

Shiori rolled her eyes.

"You're still mad about me not taking proper leave yet, but if I can recall I'm not the one trying to pour thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours and possibly _years _into a puppet."

"You are, however, the one that wont just take a break for _health _purposes. It's important that you stay _well."_

"And it's the same with you. You really don't have time to be focusing on things like this right now-."

"I do-."

"You really _don't. _There's still the war going on, and I'm barely able to work. You need to focus on the core."

"I will once I'm done this-."

"And why-."

"Shiori, don't argue with me right now."

Slowly, he removed the towel from his desk, and soaked up the rest of her throw up into the towel, finally allowing himself to shiver in disgust. He threw the rag onto the floor, and then extended a hand towards Shiori, motioning to help her stand up. She simply shook her head.

"Explain why you've been so agitated, and _then _I'll head to bed."

Kankuro frowned.

"I'd-."

"You promised no secrets, remember? Now speak up."

Ino smirked at the idea of Kankuro being bossed around by his wife, and then watched as Kankuro furrowed his brows. He spent a few moments looking at her with disappointment, upset that she wouldn't just cave into him, and then took a deep sigh.

"...You remember the attack on the Academy... right?"

Shiori suddenly fell silent, and whatever emotion that had been on her face quickly faded away into nothing, and then into one of regret. Ino's own emotions soon followed along, as she had been in the memory that Kankuro was referencing.

"...Kank-."

"I was there. It isn't... something that I ever want to see again. Those... kids..."

Shiori fell silent, before Kankuro finished off his words.

"...I'm not going to let that happen again. Especially... not to _our__s_."

She looked away from him for a few moments, letting the mood overtake the room that they were in. She looked back at him, and then subconsciously to her stomach, and then back at him again.

"...I-."

"Let _me _handle things for once," he requested. "You once nearly worked yourself into a damn coma. Let _me do this. _You know what I'm trying to make is going to turn out great."

Shiori looked Kankuro right in his eyes.

"...This is... Damn it. Fine. Do it. But... you still need to get this past Gaara..."

_If you two would just stop with the romantics and get more specific. _Ino could handle the soap opera later, but for now, she needed more information on whatever the schematics were. If it was the same thing as Eden, then more mysteries were solved. Eden was clearly a ginormous puppet, being thought up by Kankuro in response to an attack on Sunagakure's old academy. She still didn't know if it had been completed, she didn't know if it was going to get through Gaara, and she didn't know if it was still a threat.

But she had something of almost similar importance.

Kankuro smiled back at his wife, and then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She took his hand, and then he helped guide her upstairs, out of his dingy basement and presumably to their bedroom. Ino narrowed her eyes at the pair, and then sighed. The memory faded, but it didn't stop her thinking. Shiori... was just another piece of information that she'd be able to use. Nothing more, and nothing less now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shiori stood on top of the platform that she was on, and then lifted up the blueprints in her hands. The great snake on it seemed to glimmer on the paper in front of her, and she let herself get engrossed in it's contents. Everything was here, from the size, to the required materials, to a small guide on how the weapon would most likely handle once it was finished it's creation. At the very bottom of the paper, on the right side where her hand held it, both Kankuro and Shiori's signatures were engraved, etched on with a permanent marker.

_... __Looks like you were right. This is going to be... awesome..._

Her eyes lingered over her late husband's signature, before she heard footsteps patter on the platform beside her.

"_Boss_, it's all here."

_So I'm the boss now, am I?_

Quickly, Shiori turned her head to her side to see that Nakazo had gotten to the same level as she was. As of now, they were both standing on a metal platform, at least several stories above the ground. Behind her, she could see several stories chock full of bundles of wood, casings of steel and iron, all piled neatly in a warehouse made out of hardened sand. She turned her back to look at all of the materials in front of her, and then slowly looked back down onto a small tag that she held on her blueprint's clipboard, it having been given to her once she had arrived at the location. It was within one of the many mountains that surrounded Sunagakure. Hidden in the sands.

_Perfect._

"... I can see that." For the first time in a long while, Shiori moved her lips up into a smile. She turned herself back around to her comrade that stood by the door, leaning up against it informally, with one leg off the wall. When Shiori focused on him, the puppet-master smiled back at her.

"I'm still surprised the Kazekage approved this," he muttered. "Although... now that Lord Kankuro is g-."

"That doesn't matter," Shiori said, her smile slowly fading as reality hit her. "We're still going on with this. He- _We've _put too much stock into this to just toss it aside."

Nakazo took a moment to direct on her, and Shiori waited for his response, slowly pushing herself up against the railing, it being the only thing in between her falling into the sea of materials below. She had slowly gotten used to the quirks of all of her fellow puppet masters, at least the higher ranking ones. Nakazo's was the remnant of an old injury, it's legacy causing him to momentarily forget the moment, or otherwise end up frozen. While at first it had been a worry for the rest of the group, as well for anyone who had been placed on a team with him, through years of hard work, he had been able to dispel those fears. Although it did sometimes get annoying when-.

"Agreed." _There he is, _she thought, subconsciously placing a hand on her hips. Nakazo had blinked, to show that he was back in the moment again.

"I was just showing concern. He has always meant to use it with-."

"_Me. _I know. But I know enough to use it on my own."

"You are sure-."

"Nakazo, stop asking me questions. I know what I'm doing."

She turned her head, and then reverted her look back to the warehouse that the two were in, and took in the area that she was now in. Something about it's contents, something about it's air, something about the time that she was living was making her feel perfect, even as she was consistently forced to acknowledge that her husband was gone. Life, seemingly, had decided to finally reward Kankuro for his service. Of course, the reward had to come after he was dead and gone.

But there was good news associated with the sight she saw in front of her. More than enough materials to build, and a lull in the war to build it in. For once, things were beginning to look up. Soon, she would finally be able to see what Kankuro predicted, all those years ago.

And once she could, she knew exactly who she would use it against.

"... Has Gaara returned from his survey yet?"

Nakazo visibly flinched from his position behind her, afterwards slowly walking behind her until he stood behind her. She didn't see him bite his lip.

"He has. He has seen what he has needed to see, and so if you need to ask him about anything he's in his mansion. The last time I spoke to him, about three days ago, he mentioned that he was going to assign people to begin production as soon as possible."

He slowly looked over Shiori's shoulder to look at the blueprints she held in her hand, and the moment she saw his movements she lifted them up so that he would view them as well as her. He looked over them.

"... Danjuro might know more than I about this, but from what I see... this should not take more than a few months to make. The core should have enough funding... so we can start right away."

Shiori nodded.

"Then we should get off to it right away..." Nakazo slightly noticed her slowly sickening smile.

"...You seem happy about this."

"Of course I am. Once this goes through, once this is done..."

She slowly placed ah and on her chin, before taking a breath in.

"Only obstacle now is that it might be hard to move it. It's definitely going to take me more than a year to figure out how to make this mobile."

Nakazo smirked back, and then leaned himself up against the railing and faced her, giving off a rare show of calm and relaxation from him.

"Well, for now we should focus on making it _work. _Later on, then we will be able to add all of the extra stuff, if we need it."

Nakazo pointed a finger up.

"Like paint."

Shiori looked at her comrade unfounded.

"...Paint."

"Of course. I might be the only one here that seems to care about those type of things, but I could care less about what you all think about it. I simply cannot live with the level of drab and tackiness that the rest of you possess. It _cannot _become my sty-."

"Mmhm, right. Well while you fuss over _aesthetics, _I'm heading over to the bar. I'm having a good day, and I'm going to go get a drink before I have to go pick up Okuni from Utaemon's." Mockingly yet jokingly, she placed the blueprints in his hands, before turning and taking them with her.

"Maybe you can colour in the blueprints."

Nakazo rubbed his bare chin, and then gave out a verbal huff.

"Maybe you can design puppets that are less expensive on the rest of us."

"Yeah, _maybe_. Too bad _I'm _in charge now."

Nakazo cringed, and Shiori lead him out of the warehouse. Soon, the planning of a war would finally come to fruition.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Before Gaara entered the dinning room of the Kazekage mansion, he slipped himself into a hallway bathroom.

He placed his face in clear view of the mirror, and then splashed some water onto his face. He wiped it off with a washcloth, and then took a comb to his slick red hair, brushing it back into place. He took a toothpick to his teeth to make sure that whatever snack he had eaten before breakfast wasn't present on his face. He then smoothed out his suit, no longer the Kazekage robes that he had worn before, but instead a long black long coat, plush and professional. Once he was finished fretting, he stood in front of the mirror, and took one final look at himself before he would leave the room and move outside.

The only thing that was out of place now was the drop of blood that was underneath the right side of his chin.

Had he not a mirror he wouldn't have noticed it at all, and he silently thanked his intuition and his nervousness for making him check himself before he went off to his appointment. He must have gotten the fluid from earlier when he had been with the _Butcher, _and the fact that he had went through yet another session with him without gaining any notable information made him temporarily angry. While the man would languish in his cell until he was sent for again, the man's actions and resistance was grating on his feelings.

He quickly wiped the blood off, and then tried his best to get his mind back in the right place. In the happy place. He left he bathroom, and then continued down the hall until he was at the area that he wanted to be in. He took a deep breath, and then opened the set of grand doors. Upon seeing the inside of the room of his appointment, he let himself take happiness in one fact. No... he did have something now that the man who wasted away in his cells would never have again.

Upon seeing Matsuri sit at the grand table, he realized that he had a _woman._

He felt a prang in his chest, and immediately felt sick to his stomach. How could he boast of such a thing when the woman who had been murdered to ensure Shikamaru's loss was his own _sister!? _Gaara prayed for forgiveness again, as he had done each day since he had found out what his actions had wrought, before Matsuri finally noticed that he had entered the room. Her eyes scanned up to him, and then slowly back to table in front of her, it being filled with food and drink. She hid her disappointment behind a smile.

"Gaara, you've finally made it."

Gaara smiled back at her, but his own smile was clouded by his own frustrations. He shouldn't have had left her waiting! She had waited for him long enough, and her patience had been greater than anything he had ever seen in his life.

He quickly moved himself into a chair beside her, and then reached his arms around her to give her a long, strong hug. He could feel what he had of his age creep on him, and quickly pulled away afterwards, making sure that she had enough space and time to reach for her food, which she did.

"How have you been, Matsuri?" He said. Whatever hatred that had been in his heart before he had sat down with her was erased the moment that he looked into her eyes. Once her voice joined her pupils, he felt even calmer.

"I've been fine."

"I'm sorry that I kept you waiting-."

"No no... it's fine Gaara. I know you've needed your space..."

Gaara felt himself confronted by her words.

"... "I've needed my space"?"

"Gaara... you've been... busy and strange... for the past little while. That's all that I've meant by that."

The Kazekage paused. "I still don't understand..."

Matsuri let a moment pass, before she meekly picked up the knife and fork in front of her, and used them to grab a piece of steak that was in front of them on a centre plate. Gaara looked around the room that they were in, and let himself become engrossed in it, slowly forgetting who he was for precious moments. The dinning room of the Kazekage mansion was usually bright and well decorated, but for their united dinner, he had let her choose how she wanted to decorate the room. As a result, it was a grand, yet simple sight, with the lights a dull yellow, and the long, sand table decorated only with a simple red tablecloth, it being covered with an assortment of food, with a bottle of wine meant for two near her own plate. Both of them had their plates and cutlery in front of them, but they were empty. Matsuri was quietly remedying it.

Soon, Gaara had a fuller plate. But he still felt himself being caught off guard by Matsuri's words.

"...What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean by what?"

"By me acting strange."

"Oh... well..."

"Please tell me. I don't want to be in the dark about anything. Not right now. Especially... not right now."

Gaara could feel his own headache begin to develop, before hearing Matsuri's reckonings.

"... You haven't noticed that ever since you've captured Shikamaru, you've been like... this?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Just... just like that. You've been just like this. That. Ugh, you know what I mean?"

"I... I really don't know what you mean."

A moment passed, and Gaara narrowed his eyes at her. She gave out a peep, before he stopped.

"... I'm sorry about that."

"No... It's fine." Matsuri took a breath. "I just don't want you worrying about it, which is why I don't want to tell you."

Gaara's mind began to fly.

"You can tell me anything," he muttered. "Just tell me what's wrong with me and I'll fix it for you."

"It's not something that you can fix-."

"I'll see about that."

Matsuri paused, and then let out another deep sigh.

"... You've been... different ever since we've captured Shikamaru."

Gaara blinked.

"...Define different."

"Well, just look a round. You've been missing a lot of our appointments, you've been more... confused?... while you're with me, but also more deadly focused whether you have work. You've been forgetting a lot of things, and you're slowly becoming more and more... detached almost."

"... I don't know what you're-."

"See, you're doing it again-."

"Never mind, I don't want to talk about this-."

"You ask-."

"_I said __never mind__!"_

Matsuri paused, and her cutlery stood in front of the roasted turkey in front of them. Took a breath in, and then blinked, taking what he had just did in.

"... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-."

"No... it's me," she said meekly. She planted a quick kiss on Gaara's cheek, before continuing.

"You said that you didn't want to talk about it. But... just..."

Gaara placed his hands in hers.

"...Take it easy soon... Ok? I don't want you to stress out... or for what you're going through to get worse..."

The Kazekage slowly nodded, and then brushed his hands over hers again. He felt the engagement ring that he had given to her years ago rub against his skin, and he closed his eyes in shame. All the years between them that had went by. He was brave enough to stare down a thousand men single-handedly.

But he wasn't brave enough... didn't have the time... what was his excuse...?

"...I'll try."

It was the only thing he could do. Continue to promise her half truths and half lies. Until the day where he'd get the chance to make them true.

Matsuri seemed to be temporarily sated by his answer, and continued to place food into each of their plates. The two of them had their dinner together, alone and isolated from the outside world for once, and it's tone increased in happiness the moment that they had dropped their first topic. By the end of the dinner, Matsuri had found herself in Gaara's arms, her stomach swollen from the food that she had taken in, and her head resting on his shoulder. He had taken off his coat and had laid it on her, and the two spent a long wile more like this, occasionally taking sips of wine. When it was nearly time for Gaara to leave, his mind reverted back to their first conversation, and he, rather scarily, realized a flaw in what he had said.

He said that he would try. He would. But his actions, his mood, and his act, were all necessary, up until the moment that Shikamaru Nara broke.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Thank you all for reading, and I hope that I'm keeping you all entertained! Please R&amp;R if you get the chance, and let me know how I'm writing your favourite characters! I'm also going to start updating my Profile (on FF dot Net) to give up story updates, so if anything happens where I'm late on releasing a chapter, look there for a better estimation on when the next chapter will be written. Thank you very much once again, and I'll be back next week!_


	40. The Wait

_AN: Let's go!_

_Also, just one thing, I'm really sorry that I wasn't able to write a proper Holiday special, but I simply don't have the time to do so right now. There are a lot of deadlines that I have to meet by the beginning of January, and it's hard for me to multitask. However, I'll try my best to make the next few chapters really, really good :D._

_**Once again, I do not own Naruto.**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"Back!"

Mirai lunged forwards, but, as if on cue, Shikadai found himself able to easily dodge out of the way. His bare feet glided on the forest floor beneath him, and he quickly was able to change his direction, moving towards Mirai and pushing his wooden stave towards her chest. Mirai seemed to be three steps in front of him, and quickly moved to the side to avoid his attack. Shikadai changed the direction of his feet, turning quickly to the other side and taking his stave with him, only for Mirai to quickly reach out in front of her and grasp his weapon with her bare hand. When Shikadai tried to move it out of her grasp, she overpowered him, harshly shaking the staff, shaking Shikadai with it, and using the momentum to throw him to the ground. The Nara heir's face connected with the grass underneath him, and he could just instinctively feel the greenery stain his white training uniform.

"Tsk tsk tsk, come on Bambi," Mirai chided. "We've been over this. Your form is _everything _in a hand to hand situation."

Growling, Shikadai scrambled on the floor, and pushed himself up to get up from the ground. Mirai brought the boy's staff forwards, and, embarrassed, Shikadai snatched it out of her hands. She shrugged, and then continued.

"And I think I told you about what happens when you keep moving forwards like that too, without any rest or checking for an opponent's weaknesses. You've got to be consistently focusing on nothing _but _your enemy."

"Yeah yeah, I get it."

Mirai frowned.

"Doesn't look like you do." She muttered. She slowly moved herself back into her fighting position, and placed her hands up in front of her, as Shikadai took the hint and raised his staff in front of himself as well.

"Alright, let's give it a few more minutes. If you can knock me down then after you can get a treat-"

Immediately, Shikadai seemed to lunge forwards with his staff, this time aiming to blunt her on her shoulder. Seamlessly, she dodged to the side, and watched as Shikadai took a moment to redirect himself, and swing his stave in her direction again. Mirai jumped back, temporarily impressed by the boy's new-found speed, and then hopped to the side again when he lunged forwards again. Then, once again seeing a weak spot at his back, she quickly moved herself to take advantage of it...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And later on that day, Shikadai sat on a cushion in his living room, with a pack of ice on his head.

In front of him, the TV screen he watched seemed to radiate with annoyance, and he instinctively crushed the ice against his head harder. Behind him, Mirai noticed his motions, and used her remote to lower the TV's volume, as well as it's brightness. Shikadai let out a small smile, and then raised a thumbs up to her.

"Thanks."

"Sorry about earlier, by the way," she said, awkwardly. "I guess you learned how to keep your guard up, though-"

"Yeah I guess." Shikadai pulled up the fruit cup that he was eating from. Mirai took this time to look around the home that she was in.

It had been more than a month since Shikamaru had been taken captive, and it was the eve of December 25th. Mirai had originally planned to give him his last training lesson for the year today, and then let him look after himself for the rest of the holidays. However, one overzealous move...

She shrugged. It wasn't a big deal, she supposed. Shikadai wasn't as annoying as he had first been when she started looking after him for Shikamaru, and she hadn't been assigned to any big missions ever since the man had disappeared.

_...Oh... right..._

Mirai kept her expression steady as she thought through her situation. Despite the positive news that she had received a week ago, that Shikamaru was likely still alive, it didn't seem to have done much to improve Shikadai's attitude about a lot of things. He had improved gradually through training with her, but his marks at school were still low, and he still seemed to be awkward around his old friends. When he wasn't with her, he seemed to be even more of a recluse; staying at home and lazing about, sometimes having enough energy and drive to play on one of his game consoles, but no more than that.

To make matters worse, she couldn't even figure out a way to fix him.

She allowed herself to sigh, and then looked down at Shikadai's back. He had leaned himself down onto another pillow that was beside him, which allowed him to rest his head. _Maybe he'd do a little better with less training... _she wondered. And she hadn't forgotten the holiday that was going to happen tomorrow. She hoped that the day might bring him some much needed relaxation, and maybe he'd be able to finally relax. She personally had nothing but respect and faith in the upper management of the village, and she knew that soon they'd find Shikadai's father-.

"Mirai..."

Mirai's eyes piped up, and she looked down on the boy who was sprawled on the floor in front of her.

"Hm?"

There was a pause, and then she heard Shikadai sigh.

"...How did you used to feel when your Mom would have to go on a mission...?"

There was a long pause as Mirai closed her eyes. _Blunt. Like his own Mom._

"... I can't honestly remember it that well. You know it's been a while since she's had to just... up and leave me like that. As well, once you get to my age, you sort of get used to it. I don't really know how much help I can actually be-."

"That's not why I'm asking. I just... you know. Sometimes you get curious sometimes? It's troublesome, but..."

"Oh... well. I didn't really do much when she was gone. I spent a lot of time with my friends, and if they weren't available, I'd sometimes clean to make sure that when she came home, she didn't have to work anymore than she already had. If I didn't have to do that, I'd just finish old homework-."

"And if you didn't have to do that?"

Mirai looked up at the wooden ceiling that was above them.

"...I'd look up at the ceiling..."

She could hear Shikadai shuffle below her, and when she lowered her eyes again she saw him looking up in her direction, for a little while, before he reverted his eyes back onto the pillow.

"...Ceilings huh? I guess it's a good substitute for clouds..."

Mirai smirked.

"Speaking of clouds... your _Dad _is the one who first taught me that trick."

"Yeah, I was going to say that my Dad showed me stuff like that too."

Mirai raised a brow. "And has this helped you any, while he's been gone?"

Shikadai paused.

"...Well, watching clouds is always relaxing at least..." Shikadai muttered, before his voice trailed off, and he returned his gaze at the TV in front of him. Mirai looked at the boy with confused and worried eyes, before she shook her head slowly, and joined him in the act. She had faith. Shikamaru had gone off to war before, and he had always come back. And he wouldn't leave his son alone, not in the middle of a war.

At least, that was what she hoped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Gaara slammed his fist down onto the table._

_ "What do you mean that they have gained another front!?"_

_ One of the men who sat at the long table took a deep breath in, and then slowly motioned to one of the figurines on the table in front of him._

_ "They have. We haven't been paying close attention to our eastern borders, sir. And it looks like they've noticed."_

_ "Dammit."_

_ Gaara leaned back into his chair, and then sunk his head into a hand. The entire war had been like this for him. It seemed that every time he seemed to be making permanent process, Konohagakure just pushed him back to where he had been before. It ate away at his temper, and it suffocated his mind._

_ "Do we have any other shinobi available? Or... check our barracks. Maybe the Daimyo has **finally **sent us the support troops that we need."_

_ "I doubt that he has." Gaara didn't remove his face from his hand, but he did notice that the voice that answered him was less masculine and more feminine this time. The voice continued after a small while._

_ "We do, however, have a few freshly appointed Jonin available, although it wouldn't be a good idea to send them, if you ask me. All of our older Jonin are elsewhere as well, you sent them off on different missions. The only real members that aren't otherwise busy or out of town are the Chuunin and Genin, and this seems to be too big of a mission for them-."_

_ "Your information is welcome. However, your **opinions **are not."_

_ Gaara could almost feel the other smirk._

_ "...I leave this place for just a few years, and you're already getting too cocky for your own good."_

_ Gaara slowly raised his head from his hands, and once he looked up at the patron on the other end of the table, he finally understood her chiding mouth._

_ The rest of his councillors were gone. The only person sitting at his assembly table was Temari. Dressed in the same clothes she wore on the day he had last seen her. Her wheat gold locks tied up into a messy quad-ponytails, and her beautiful yet aged face finely sculpted with her own blood. _

_ The Fifth Kazekage gulped, and Temari focused her eyes on him. _

_ "Is this what you've been doing all war? Is this the quality of the strategies that you've been using against Konohagakure? If so, then there's not a wonder in my mind why this conflict has been going on for a decade."_

_ The presence of his now dead sibling was doing him no good. His previously stalwart demeanour was quickly sauntering away from him, and it only left his horrified and regretful face. Slowly, he could see the walls around and behind him melt away, the sand on them slithering down onto the floor, and then through the floor into nowhere. The lights in the room quickly faded away, and soon the only way that he was able to see his sister was through a strange illumination on her face. He shivered, but nevertheless kept his face as calm and firm as he could afford it to be. _

_ "... And what a long decade it's been. Thousands of shinobi dead. Hundreds of people dead. All because you were scared-."_

_ "I was- I am not **scared**," Gaara said. His voice slightly shook with his confusion of the situation, but nevertheless he was clear. "I simply reacted to something that was the truth. Konohagakure attacked us. Repetitively. The only answer was war."  
_

_ "No, the correct answer was to wait and investigate the situation," Temari said quickly, cutting off Gaara. Gaara felt a strange warmness hearing her assertive and stern voice, a voice that he had sombrely missed. Once he was finished reminiscing, he watched as Temari rose from her seat, and then began to walk towards him, dragging her fingers against the wood of the table in front of her. Once she was standing in front of him, she bore down on Gaara, looking deeply into his eyes._

_ "Instead, you and Kankuro rushed into things that you didn't understand. And now look at us. Our village is on the verge of collapse. And it's all **your **fault."_

_ Gaara gulped silently._

_ "Before the war began, I made sure that we still maintained contact with the desert nomads, the other four Great Nations, and our Land's civilian capital. Those lines haven't been cut, and our village walls are still standing. You are wrong."_

_ "Our walls may still be standing, but things are amiss when my husband can escape you by exploiting **one **building flaw during a rainstorm-."_

_ "**That means nothing-."**_

_"It means a lot, Gaara. And no amount of fighting them is going to fix our infrastructure. If you truly cared about the affairs of this village, about the longevity of our people, and about our continued existence, then you'd end the war where it is now, apologize for your actions, and let Konohagakure-."_

_ "You think you can just show up and tell me what to do after you **deserted **us?!"_

_ Gaara slowly pushed himself out of the chair that he had been sitting in, and stood up in front of his sister. Age had done nothing to correct the height difference between then, but time had done a job of giving Gaara more strength than he used to have. Not the mad, angry posture that he used to be cursed with, but the strength of an experienced military commander and Kage. He could now attempt to speak to her as more of an equal, and not as a younger brother._

_ "How can I believe your words, your assessments and your opinions when you've been with Shikamaru this entire time!? He's been lying to you the whole time-."_

_ "I've known this since long before I married him-."_

_ "And you still chose to leave us!?"_

_ "Because if I stayed you would've done this, the same thing would have needed to happen, and the only real difference would have been that I would've been miserable and lonely. But of course, you wouldn't have cared about that."_

_ Gaara paused._

_ "...There were plenty of eligible bachelors in Sunagakure available to you."_

_ "And there are plenty **other **eligible women in Sunagakure available to you. And yet you'd never leave Matsuri. So why did you expect me to leave Shikamaru?"_

_ There was another silence, and Gaara shut his eyes. Moments later, when he opened them, he had found a new topic to focus on._

_ "...That doesn't change a single thing," he spat. "You still abandoned us when we needed you the most. You still left our village in disarray. You still had us searching for you for ten years!"_

_ "And for that I'm sorry. But you know that I wouldn't turn against you unless there was a good reason, and for what needed to happen I needed for you two to not know where I was-."_

_ "Just... shut up! It does not matter, none of this **bullshit **matters anymore! You left! The war was in self defence, and nothing you say to me is going to make history change! It's done! I'm... I'm going to finish what I've started, and there's nothing that you can do to stop me!"_

_ Gaara paused, and then began to breathe heavily, his previous statement making himself feel uneasy. But was it because of what he said? Did he truly mean it? Or was he simply angry and repulsed by the vision of his sister's corpse in front of him, giving him a stern lecturing that he didn't deserve?_

_ Even he didn't know._

_ Temari simply continued to stare at him. Throughout their entire conversation, she hadn't shown an ounce of emotion, giving him the same blank stare that she was known for. Finally, after she let a few moments pass, she opened her mouth again._

_ "...Fine, Gaara."_

_ Gaara raised a brow._

_ "Fine? Is that... it?"  
_

_ "Yes. You told me yourself, nothing I can say can change what's already happened. Nothing I can say will change what you will do." Temari took a step away from her younger brother, and Gaara noticed that while they had been arguing, the area around them had completely been enveloped in darkness. When Temari stepped away from him, he almost lost sight of her face._

_ "All I can tell you is what **will **happen if you don't listen to my words."_

_ "What will happen is that I will achieve victory-."_

_ Temari interrupted him with a cruel laugh._

_ "That's not going to happen."_

_ "I have Shikamaru, your **husband **in my custody. Without their "Stag", Konohagakure wont be able to land any killing blows on us. And while he's here, I'll be able to take all of his information from him."_

_ Temari shook her head slowly._

_ "You and I both know that my husband isn't the one to break. He's never broke before-."_

_ "He's never been captured before. And every man has his limit."_

_ "And some men have limits that are their graves."_

_ "Then so be it."_

_ "You know this isn't going to work."_

_ "It will."_

_ "You're delusional. And that's not the reason why you're torturing him."_

_ "Enough."_

_ "You're doing it to make yourse-."_

_ "I said enough!"_

_ Gaara slammed his fist onto the table in front of him, and then spent a few moments looking at what he had done. This wasn't him. This couldn't be him. He couldn't have been this weak and pathetic, not in front of his sister._

_ Nevertheless, Temari took another step back. Emotions swirled in Gaara's eyes._

_ "Wa-."_

_ "You said enough. I said earlier that I was only going to warn you of what would happen if you continued, and you denied the truth. The truth of it is... even if you kill my husband, you'll still have the rest of his, my clan, to deal with, as well as the rest of Konohagakure. And this might end up being the event that causes Naruto to finally snap."_

_ Gaara took a breath in, and Temari narrowed her eyes at him._

_ "...I can see that you're hurt. And I understand how much my betrayal meant to you, and what it did to you. But you know what you need to do to stop this. And you know what does and doesn't help. Give in, give up, and you'll be able to fix what you've nearly ruined."_

_ Gaara shook his head immediately._

_ "No. I've... it's been too long... for me to just give in now. I have to..."_

_ He gripped his fists._

_ "Your death can't have been for nothing."_

_ Temari fell silent then, and the both of them noticed that the room that they were in slowly lost it's light, before they could both see nothing at all. But it wasn't all over, until Gaara heard Temari's final words._

_ "...It wasn't."_

_ "I'm sor-."_

_ And then the sound was gone as well._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Gaara gripped Matsuri's body like a vice.

The moment he did, his eyes opened wide, and he was once again greeted with darkness, but it was much more visible than before. On top of his body, his former student laid on him, beginning to shift and wake from this sudden change in comfort. To his side, he could see that he had forgotten to turn off the lights before they had retired the night before, and behind that he could see that he had also forgotten to close his windows as well. Most importantly, the area around him was familiar and comfortable, secure and kind, and he slowly began to calm down. What he had seen before was a nightmare. It was just a nightmare...

_ "You're doing it to make yourse-."_

If only he hadn't interrupted her. Then perhaps he'd have more information on his own mind, on his own actions and on his own heart. Temari's bloodied face came back into his mind, and he shut his eyes again in memory. Seconds later, he felt a prodding to his shoulder, and he opened his eyes again to see that Matsuri had finally woken up.

"Is something wrong?"

Gaara blinked, and then turned away from her for a few moments. He didn't have to ponder it, and knew quickly that he didn't wish to tell Matsuri anything from his dream. The woman who laid with him already had a million things to worry about in the morning, and the last thing he wanted to do to her was to give her anymore unneeded stress.

"No... I'm fine."

She raised a brow quizzically.

"Are you sure?"

"I am." Gaara's voice was firm as a rock.

Matsuri nodded slowly. She knew well that when Gaara made his mind up about something, he didn't change it. At least, that's how he had been ever since...

Her mind trailed off as his had done, and she finally noticed the powered side lamp and the open window. She slowly climbed off of her lover, and Gaara was able to see another glimpse of her naked frame as she turned off their side lamp, then strode over to close the window and dim the blinds. He let his mind leave his dream, his vision, or his nightmare, and instead focus on the now. He was the Kazekage. He had a Fiance that loved him. He lacked a brother and a sister now, but he had a sister in law and a niece that he had to look after, as well as a nephew that he'd eventually have to retrieve. He had a village to protect, and a Land to look after.

And in his dungeons, he had a man who held the secrets that would help him do that.

When Matsuri finally came back to bed, she placed herself at his side instead of his chest, and seamlessly brought him in for a quick kiss, her lips landing on his. Gaara smiled lightly, turned to his side as she was, and then brought her closer to his chest. He'd get through this. He just needed to calm down. He needed to calm down...

And finish his work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru's head felt as if it was about to explode.

He gripped it in his hands, and then curled himself into a ball on the floor of his cell. The one he had been given now was much smaller than his last one, and it's walls were a cold metal instead of a warm sand. It was for this reason that he was shivering as well. It was for this reason that he had tried to place his hair in between him and the cold ground. He felt hopeless.

And the bleeding from his back wasn't helping matters.

_Month... you've been here for a month. _Such thoughts and facts kept him calm, even as he had no true comforts. The cell that he was in was a pitch black; his interrogators had taken out the lights days ago, and it was cold; these dungeons being less ventilated than the ones before. As he breathed, he could hear his echo throughout the area, and so he worked on trying to calm himself. He was still alive. That was something positive for him, at least.

He couldn't remember the last time that he had been outside, let alone the last time he had tried to escape. Of course, with the pain that racked him in his head, he could barely remember his own name. The only thing he could remember was his dignity, no... his pride. He couldn't scream out, and even alone in his cell he had to make himself presentable. He had to keep himself brave. He was a Nara, it came with the territory.

Minutes passed, and soon the pain in his mind began to finally subside. When it had, another pain came to him, this time being from his stomach. Slowly, he rolled himself so that he was facing the door of his cell, and then tried his best to look around as his head rested against the ground. There wasn't any food in his cell, nor was there water. When was the last time he had taken in either of those substances? He couldn't remember. He barely even had enough fluid in his body to produce the blood the flowed from his ba-.

_Don't think about that. How long has it... been? How...three... two weeks? It's... it should be almost... the Holidays..._

Shikamaru slowly felt his lips curve up into a smile. His mind travelled away from his cell, and back into his memories. Memories of buying his wife and son presents, far back to Shikadai's first vacation, when the boy struggled to even stay awake during the time they were opening presents, fussing and cooing angrily if they tried to wake him, but being amusingly entertained once he _did _get to see his present.. But, like all people, he had his personal favourite memory. The year when, after they had prepared dinner, Temari joined him on a snowbound hill looking at the clouds, all while a toddler sized Shikadai slept on his chest.

He took a weak breath in, and then breathed out. His son definitely wouldn't consider this holiday to be his greatest, but there was nothing that he could do about it. He hoped that Mirai would be enough company for him, and perhaps some other clan members could pitch in and help out. Or, he could spend the time with his friends, and continue the forge the bond between the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi clans.

Shikamaru's smile faded as he remembered his teammates and dear friends. He should have have tried to send a note, an email, or at least something to show that he was still alive back when he had "escaped" his bindings, and the fact that he hadn't was eating away at him now. He could only imagine the additional stress that they were going through, needing to spend time and provide for their families, but perhaps also being haunted by his gho-.

Suddenly, Shikamaru began to hear footsteps.

_...Not now. Not... now..._

Shortly after, he began to hear his door open, and he closed his eyes peacefully. At this point, neither him nor his captors needed to discuss a thing. If they were coming to him, opening his door, and lifting him into the air as they were doing now, then he was up for another torture session.

The only odd part about it was that he had already had one in the same day.. or at least that was one of the things that he thought was true.

_Strong... just be strong..._

He closed his mouth, and breathed in through his nose, this time his breath coming to him unevenly. He tried to relax his body the best he could between the arms of two large men, and then accepted what was happening to him with all the patience of a holy man. It would just be another session. They wouldn't get anything out of him, and he barely grunted during them. He could survive this. His friends would find him soon. Or he would escape soon. He had to keep his faith.

It was the only thing he had left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_ Thank you all for reading again, and thank you for all of the lovely reviews! The next chapter will be uploaded shortly after this one, and will probably be a little bit shorter. But thank you all, and have a Happy Holidays! _


	41. Gaara

_AN: And here we are! The 2nd in a double chapter!_

_And here is where I will put my warning. This chapter is particularly dark, even worse than my previous ones. If you're really squeamish, please heed the warnings at the beginning of the particular piece in this chapter that is uncomfortable. The rating is still T however, don't worry._

_Another minor issue that I must tell you all is that I don't think I will be able to update this fiction at all in the month of January. The problem is that I need to focus on a bunch of supplementary applications, and I wont have the time nor creative brainpower to juggle everything together, not to mention that I also have exams in January. However, I am thinking of updating this fic again during the first week of February, and I have no plans of abandoning it. I really want to see this through to the end._

_**I do not own Naruto**_

_**WARNING: This chapter is particularly unpleasant. It's not enough to make it rated M, but viewers should beware. As stated earlier, I will indicate the section that this applies to. It will be possible to get a gist of what happens during this chapter via a summary in the ending Author's Note.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_May 15__th__, 11__th__ year of the Sunagakure-Konohagakure Conflict..._

Kankuro slowly brought his fingers over the guitar that he held in his hand, and then leaned himself against the back of his cell. He strummed once, heard the instrument was mistuned, and moved his hands to twist and correct it. He kept plucking at the strings until it was fine, and then played a single chord, grinning lightly when it sounded the way that he wanted it to. He continued the process over and over again, until he had figured out his own tune, and the sounds began to radiate through the room that he was in, and then sighed heavily.

"Happy birthday to me... happy birthday to me..."

He knew that it was his birthday today, and to him it didn't matter if anyone else did. At the beginning of the day he had heard someone mention the date when he had been taken back from his interrogation earlier the same day, and the moment he had heard what day it was he had begun to feel giddy. The guitar he had was a sarcastic "gift" from Ino a few weeks ago, and the implications on why she had given him such a thing began to swirl in his mind as he played it. Did she find something out about him that was particularly damming? Did she know that it would soon be his birthday back then? Was it just a gesture of random kindness?

Kankuro strummed another chord, this one being particularly nice sounding. It didn't matter to him now, not in the slightest. What really concerned him was the length of time that he had been trapped in his cage.

It had been weeks since he had last seen Gaara, and more weeks since he had seen the erst of his family. No amount of strumming and guitar playing would change those facts, and no amount of it would be able to distract him from that reality. If he were at home, he would've been able to afford himself a bigger cerebration. With family, friends and co-workers. Instead, he was stuck away from them, with all of the secrets in his mind being taken away from him, and used by his own enemy.

He stopped strumming for a little while, and then increased the tempo. At the very least he had something to do as he passed the time now.

Shortly after he had begun to do this, he heard the door to his cell open, and looked up to watch as Ino Yamanaka walked in, briefly escorted by two other members of the interrogation core before the door closed behind her. As it usually was, the two were left in the cell alone, but by now Kankuro knew that she had others on the outside overseeing their conversation via security cameras. Ino looked down on the man in front of her, and then waited patiently. For a while, Kankuro simply ignored her, until he felt something tinge in his brain. Another piece of Ino's ninjutsu. He growled, and then turned himself to face her.

"What do you want?"

Ino crossed her arms.

"I have a few questions-."

"I'm not answering questions today," the sand shinobi snapped, and then turned his eyes back to hte guitar in front of him, and began to strum it again.

"Ask me tomorrow. I'm not in the mood for it today."

Ino spat onto the ground in front of her.

"Nobody's ever in the mood for interrogations. Unfortunately for you, it's my job to make you do it whether you like it or not. And don't get me in a bad mood today. You've been nothing but a prick ever since you've arrived."

Kankuro looked up at her, before finding that before he could do this, he needed to flip his hair. Over the months it had had grown back, and by now his chin was adorned with a healthier, bushier beard. Much to his chagrin.

"Is that my fault? You bastards should've left me to die in that alley. Your little issues ith me are all your own fault."

Almost to continue his annoyance, he continued to strum on his guitar. The sounds coming from it were less firm, and now more loose and uncertain. He admittedly wasn't very good at music.

Ino rolled her eyes.

"I was going to ask you to clarify a few things I saw in one of your memories."

Kankuro continued to focus his concentration somewhere else, anywhere else. The shame he felt for being a part of this continued to eat away at his psyche.

"You can either agree to speak up, or I'll just find out, or figure it out myself, later."

"Well you should do the latter. Maybe then you'll become a better shinobi."

Ino huffed.

"Said by the man with one leg." She shook her head, and then turned around to leave. Kankuro raised a brow at her as she did so, but before she had completely left him alone, she stopped in her tracks. She didn't turn her head as she gave him another glib of kindness.

"...Happy birthday, by the way."

_...__How the fuck did she remember that?_

The door to his cell opened again, and it shut hard once she left. Kankuro's strumming paused for a few minutes, as he tried to figure out what her game was. She had been doing that for a few months now, coming in, requesting that he'd tell her something, and then leaving without another word if he refused. He immediately became suspicious of this the first three times it had happened, and deep down he knew there had to be something behind her actions. She had to be intimidating him, no, perhaps this was a warning...

But he left that method of thinking moments after he had started it. It didn't matter much to him. As he was left alone again in his cell, the only thing he had was his guitar, and memories of his family. Perhaps, the slight hope that one day he'd be able to get out of here was with him as well. For now, it was his birthday. In a few hours, he'd be given the same low quality food he had been given each day before, and hours after that he'd be able to rest. Those times of the day were the only things that he cared to look forwards to now.

He smiled sadly. There used to be much more to look forwards on his birthday. Shiori usually made good on taking special care of him that day, and even Okuni usually found a way to make him feel more special than she already did on a daily basis. Gaara and Matsuri would stop by, and either the two branches of the family would have dinner together at home, or go out for a party at some sort of function. His birthday used to be such an idyllic, and happy day.

But now it was only full of memories.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gaara looked at the calendar with the intensity of a madman. May 15th. His brother's birthday. And the first birthday where he was dead.

As he remembered this, he slowly clenched his fist that was on the table, and his previously neutral face went into a deep scowl. He hadn't ever taken this fact with the amount of acceptance that he needed to. He hadn-. 

"Lord Kazekage, is there something wrong?"

Gaara blinked, and then looked away from the calendar in front of him, and instead focused on the woman who sat across from him at his desk. Shiori had raised a single brow, and had a slight look of concern on her face. _Right. __Life... it goes on..._

"No. Nothing. As you were saying, your report of the build."

Shiori nodded, and then continued to speak about the project that she had been speaking of, Eden. Meanwhile, even as Gaara looked forwards into her eyes he couldn't help but remember what had been bothering him for so long. His brother was dead, and on his birthday, it seemed that he had gotten nothing accomplished in his stead. The war fronts were still stagnant, all of the structural and cultural issues that Sunagakure had been facing since the beginning of the conflict were still on going, and the war was still ongoing.

To make things worse, it had been eight months and Shikamaru still hadn't even said a _word _that was useful to him.

During every session that had transpired, the man had been silent as possible. An occasional grunt, "fuck you" or gasp not included. Even though the man's body had decayed, his ferocity and pride had not, and so each attempt at getting any meaningful information out of him had failed. The only thing that the sessions with him had done was weaken Shikamaru's body, and make Gaara angrier, and angrier.

Until it was at a point where he couldn't _not _think of the captured General who laid in his dungeons, even as even more important things were being spoken to him.

"...Therefore, I guess we can say that it'd be done by... late this year. And... my lord. Are you listening?"

Gaara blinked at her, and simply nodded. She continued on with her report, but he had already heard what he wanted to hear, and was sure that most of that she was saying now would be placed into a report that he could read later. But, even as she finished up her speech, he couldn't help but feel as if he was wasting time here. No... Shikamaru was wasting his time. Yes... him. The man had wasted his mornings, afternoons and evenings since he had gotten here, and worse, Gaara began to feel whatever power he had over his fellow shinobi begin to slip away. How could he command them like he wished to when they had witnessed a man nearly escape from him, resist him, and not face any true consequences for his actions? Shikamaru was still fed three times a day, he was still able to sleep most of the day away, and worse still, he was still _alive. _Whereas the people that mattered to Gaara, Temari and Kankuro, were both _dead._

He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, and Shiori noticed this. As she looked at him with confused eyes, he silently chided himself. If the woman in front of him knew what he had let the man who was responsible for her husband's death get away with, or even that Gaara had him in custody, she'd lose any respect that he had left for him. For now, it was a good idea to keep her out of his thoughts.

"Sir, if you need me to, I can return when you're more focused."

"You may continue. I am... just feeling a little sick today."

Shiori nodded, and then continued to speak her piece. Matsuri had warned him about his actions, she had warned him well indeed. From the first day that he had brought the man in, she had warned him about letting the Nara Leader get to him, and tried to make him feel more at ease about the situation. But it wasn't working, at least not now. Gaara couldn't get it out of his head. His brother was dead. It was Kankuro's birthday, and he was _**dead.**_

__Shiori finished speaking, and Gaara looked up into her eyes. The moment he made eye contact, they were instantly able to reach both of their emotions, and they stayed like that for a small while, simply feeding off of each other. Gaara was the first to speak.

"It's... his birthday today."

Shiori took a deep breath, and then nodded.

"... How are you dealing with it?"

_Deflection._

Shiori blinked, and then shrugged. There was a tinge of sadness in her eyes.

"...Don't worry about us, Gaara. We'll be fine."

Gaara nodded, and then signed into his elbow.

"...You may leave, Shiori. I'll be sure to chec-."

"You don't need to."

Shiori stood up, and left the room almost as quickly as she had entered it. Gaara spent a few moments looking at the door that she had left through, before his mind strayed back to the pain that he felt. Quietly, he made a decision. He had to make Shikamaru talk. Today... he had to make him talk.

But how?

His mind began to wander back to the reports that his chief interrogators had given him on shinobi and their psyche. A popular method was threatening family members, fellow comrades, or threatening to kill them. Other methods included...

Slowly, a smile began to show on Gaara's face. A sick, yet satisfied smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru's mind felt as if it were about to explode...

_"__It's ok... you're going to get through this..."_

He weakly gripped his head with his hands, in a futile attempt at trying to console himself.

_"__Just hold on. They'll find you, they wouldn't just let you __be like this..."_

He longed to scream out in pain, but he could not and would not show any weakness to his captors.

_"__I'm here with you. Please, just focus on me..."_

The man felt hands lightly rest on his shoulders, and he sucked in a breath.

_"__Shh... it's okay. You're going to be fine..."_

He breathing hitched, but he slowly removed his hands from his head, and moved to try and hold onto the hands that were on him.

_"__There we go. Remember what I told you, you just have to endure. I'll be here. I've always been here."_

Shikamaru bit his lip slowly.

"I'-I'-I'm s-s-sorry..."

_"Sorry for what?"_

He heard the sound of chains.

"Hey! **Butcher! **Wake and get up!"

The leaf shinobi shivered.

"...You... I n-n-never... I never told you-."

_"__Now's not the time for that love."_

He felt a warm body press into his, and he gasped in pleasure.

"No... I- I have to... I have to befor-."

"_**BUTCHER! I said get up! **_Lord Gaara is waiting for you."

"I have to make... maybe if... they're... Temari I-."

Suddenly, he felt harsher hands grab him from behind, and begin to pull him backwards.

_"... __Be strong. You have to be strong...Especially now."_

Shikamaru nodded softly, before the man behind him lifted him into the air.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**WARNING: THIS PIECE IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC. If you begin to feel uncomfortable, skip to the last part of chapter.**

Shikamaru knew something was wrong the moment he had been restrained in his interrogation room.

The bindings that held his arms and legs in place were stronger and tighter than they had ever been before, and the lights in the room were brighter than they had been previously as well. Instead of starting on him immediately, the four men who were in the room with him, Gaara and the three other interrogators, were standing in front of him, the Kazekage in the middle and the other three around him, to his side. Gaara had his hands behind his back. None of them looked particularly phased by him, but Shikamaru found himself not caring much.

The past few months had been Hell for him. He was glad that there was a change in routine.

Here he stood in front of them, with his hands behind his back, his hair out of it's tie and hanging over the front of his face, his previously clean beard ragged and hanging from his chin in a mess, and his chest and back being full of nicks and scars. He felt tired, and he was tired, not just of the torture, but of his life. He couldn't tell how long had passed, but he was sure that by now Konohagakure had classified him as dead. And since they were his last hope at escaping Sunagakure alive, that would mean that he was effectively departed. Even as his soul screamed out for him to not give in, and not give up on the dream that he and Temari had spent their lives fighting for, his body caved in. The only thing he had been able to prevent himself from doing was speaking any of Konohagakure's secrets, but by now he was sure that whatever information he still had was useless, or outdated by nearly a year. There was no point in keeping him locked up, unless Gaara meant to-. 

"...Shikamaru Nara."

The Leaf Shinobi's thought process was cut off by the sound of Gaara's voice. It was different than it had been before, at least, that was what Shikamaru thought at first. Until he realized when he had last heard Gaara use that tone of voice with him.

All the way back during the Chuunin exams.

To show that he heard him, normally Shikamaru would nod. But the pain in his head was greater than his respect for Gaara, and so he simply stared. When he didn't respond, the three other interrogators began to move to their positions around Shikamaru, one at his right side, one at his left, and one behind him. Gaara spoke again.

"You heard me address you. I will not be ignored by you for any longer. _**Bow your head.**_"

Instead, Shikamaru simply raised his head.

"...What... what the hell is this about?"

It was unusual indeed. Every other torture session began with him being attacked first, and then Gaara would try to goad him into spilling his conceals. Them starting off with an address was... new. Gaara huffed.

"This is about your behaviour towards me. For the past few months, you have been acting quite brave, have you not? The escape attempt, the defiance towards my men, and your tight lip."

The position that he was kneeling in was beginning to make him feel lightheaded, yet Shikamaru kept himself still, before shrugging.

"... At the very beginning... I to... I t-t-told you... I wouldn't tell you... a' damn thing. What... ma-makes you th-think I would ch-change my mind?"

Shikamaru cursed himself for how weak his voice seemed in front of Gaara, but once the other man began to speak again, he realized his thoughts were meaningless.

"..Lots of things, actually. Look at how you are now, weak and frail...-"

_"...__Y__ou're in danger."_

_ Asuma? _Shikamaru's mouth slowly fell agape, as his eyes strayed from Gaara to flow around the room, trying to find the source of the familiar voice.

_"__Do whatever Gaara says. Lie if you have to. Bow your head a little. You __**don't **__want to pick a fight with him right now."_

Shikamaru refocused his gaze on Gaara.

_...__And seem weak in front of the man who killed my __Temari__-._

_ "__**Fuck**__ your pride, Shikamaru! Listen to me! If you don't do what I say now, you'll ruin your life forever! And the last thing that I want to happen is to see my best student-."_

_ I __**can't **__submit to that man. Not after all he's done to me-._

**"And even now you continue to ignore me. Even as you are now, with a Kage in front of you."**

Shikamaru's eyes refocused on Gaara, and he grit his teeth in preparation. He steeled his body the best he could, and calmed his soul. Whatever Gaara had in store for him, he was ready for it.

_"... __What happened to the old you? The one who knew to fold 'em?"_

Nara took a deep breath in.

_ He lost his wife._

_ "...Fair enough..."_

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at Gaara, and the man in front of him began to look more and more monstrous by the second. His own sickly teal eyes stared back at him with a greater intensity, and he himself seemed weak as well.

Weak to his emotions.

"Y-y-you don't deserve my respect, you b-b-b-bloody murderer-."

"Am I the true murderer, Butcher!? Am I?!"

Shikamaru cringed at his moniker, and then watched intently as Gaara slowly began to walk up to him, stopping once he was close enough to spit on his face. He looked down on him as a bird of prey would look down on a rat. His voice was barely stable.

"It does not matter. None of this matters. None of this name calling, none of this posturing. All that matters are the facts of your crimes, of the sins you have committed. You have killed thousands of people, you tricked my sister and took her away to Konohagakure with you, and..."

Gaara paused to grip his fists.

"... You are the reason why my brother is no longer with us. I gave you hospitality and civility when I first caught you, and you gave me disrespect and ran from my care. Afterwards, you have done nothing but spit in the face of my hospitality, of our hospitality. You have thrown away any chances I have given you. You have not told us anything. And thus here we stand."

Gaara's face became enveloped with a sickly grimace. Shikamaru visibly shivered. It was too familiar to him.

"...But you see, today is the day that things will change. Today is the day that it will you to beg for forgiveness and spill everything you know. Today is the day that you finally begin to pay for you wickedness and misdoings."

Gaara looked to one of the other interrogators.

"Make sure you keep him still."

He nodded, and then Shikamaru felt his bindings get tighter, and nearly opened his mouth to groan. But he wouldn't. He had to stay strong. No matter what. When Gaara turned back to him, the Kazekage slowly revealed the hands that he had behind his back...

And along with them, a long, thick cleaver. Shikamaru's eyes widened immediately.

It was a disgusting looking thing, straight and long, but rusty as well. The edges were jagged, and the handle looked old. And yet Gaara still held it proudly in his hands, as if-.

_"...__Be strong... please be strong..."_

Shikamaru sucked in a deep, long breath, and nodded to respond to his spouse's begging. Meanwhile, Gaara and his sickly smile took this in a different way.

"Ah, good. Let us begin then. Name all of head commanders of the Konohagakure shinobi force, and-."

"I will not."

Gaara raised a crazed brow.

"Fine! State the rotation of your shinobi. When do the rotations change? When do they-."

"N-n-no."

Gaara raised both of his brows up, and then leaned in to the point where he was able to breathe onto Shikamaru's face.

"...Final chance. Of all the chances I've given you. State-"

"I. Will. Not."

Gaara leaned out, and then lifted the blade in his hand.

"... _**Fine. **__**The **__**speaking**__** you do today **__**does not**__** have to be **__**coherent**__**.**_"

Shikamaru couldn't convince himself to be scared at this point. He knew it would hurt, but the result would be worth it. If he was dead, he wouldn't be able to betray his village. If he were dead, he wouldn't be able to continue disappointing his son. If he were dead, then all of the pain he felt, all of the guilt he held with him, and all of the painful connections he made to the living world would be gone.

If he was dead, he'd be able to see his Temari again.

But even his anticipation for his end couldn't have prepared him for the pain he felt when Gaara's cleaver gave him a clean cut diagonally across his forehead.

Immediately, the pain he had been feeling within his mind intensified. Shikamaru's head fell into his hands, but he didn't let out a single sound. When he looked up at Gaara again, with the blood from his head flowing into his eyes, he saw the same ill grin from before.

And along with it, another order.

"Talk."

Shikamaru spat onto the ground in front of him, and in response Gaara cut him again, this time on his chin. Shikamaru tried his move his head around as he had done last, but he guard around him held him still. Gaara hit him again, this time on his right cheek, and Shikamaru still stayed quiet and firm.

_Maybe I'll just end up like my Father, _he wondered, trying to keep his mind off of the pain that now plagued his body. _He was a respectable man. His scars brought hi-._

"Talk."

"N-n-no-."

Shikamaru's response was responded with Gaara using the knife to cut him again, this time going back over the scar on his forehead, making it deeper. This pain was much newer than the others, but Shikamaru kept himself quiet and calm. Gaara's next cut ended up near his left ear, and yet Shikamaru kept himself quiet.

"_**TALK!"**_

__Around him, Shikamaru could feel the grip of the guards around him begin to lesson. All while his blood loss increased.

"I-I-I-I will n-n-not!"

This time when Gaara lashed out, the cut was on the lobe of his left ear. This time, Shikamaru let out a small, but sure scream. Upon hearing his captive cry out for the first time, Gaara found himself chuckling in happiness, before he hit him again, this time with the blunt of his cleaver, in his cheek. Once again, the man kneeling screamed, and this time it was a little bit louder.

Gaara let out another chuckle. _Not so tough anymore..._

"Talk!"

Shikamaru barely opened his mouth before Gaara hit him in the face again, this time creating another cut on his neck. He had hit a sensitive nerve, and Shikamaru cried out even louder in response, this new cut in particular feeling like a stab to the heart. Gaara laughed gain.

"TALK!"

Shikamaru could barely react to the last wound before Gaara hit him blunt in his right eye, causing a bruise to appear. He screamed out again, this one echoing through the room, and Gaara chuckled again. Finally, the man he had loathed for so long was doing what he wanted. Finally, he was getting what he wanted.

"Talk!"

There was a blood curdling scream that accompanied he next attack, as Gaara had aimed for his right eye again, this time causing a cut across it. Shikamaru's head finally felt as if it broke in two, and he cried out pathetically. Another shout from Gaara entered the air, but before Shikamaru could respond, or even hear it...

Gaara had aimed for his right eye again. And this time, it fell out of it's socket.

The scream that Shikamaru produced was eerie and horrifying.

Looking down on him from where he stood, Gaara could see the result of the work that his anger caused him to make. Shikamaru's right eye rolled around on the ground in front of him, and the socket that once held it bled. He struggled with his bindings fiercely, tying to move his hands up to his face to try and hide his shame, but the guards around him held him firm. Instead, the only thing he could do was lower his head, and even then all that did was increase the rate of blood that left his face, as it seeped from all of the areas that Gaara had cut.

"Talk!"

This wouldn't stop nor phase Gaara, however. If only Kankuro had had the luxury of being shown mercy.

Shikamaru could do nothing but cry out, and shake his head. The blood from his face began t seep down to his bare chest, which gave Gaara another idea. Now, he smashed Shikamaru in the face again, but also made a deep incision into his right shoulder, causing him to cry again. When he removed his blade, the blood that was from Shikamaru's shoulder came with him.

"Talk!"

Shikamaru bit his lips, and braced himself again. He didn't know what he could do more to truly participate in what was happening to him, but soon his pondering were interrupted by Gaara's knife again, this time hitting him head on on the left side of his face, although a small bit of it cut the corner of his lip. He cried out again, only for Gaara to backhand him, and then begin to increase the rate of his attack, repetitively screaming "Talk!" every now and then. Meanwhile, Shikamaru's body finally began to shut down, and he couldn't even shake his hands and legs that had he had been doing before. Instead, all he could do was scream, and accept the pain he felt head on. Each blow beginning with a smash, but ending in a weird, begrudging softness.

The beating continued for many more minutes. The guards that were present continued to hold onto Shikamaru's arms as her Kazekage did his work, but they cringed with every blow, and every accompanied cry. Eventually, it became gruesome enough for the entire right of Shikamaru's face to be bleeding and cut open, but even through seeing his captive in pain, Gaara continued.

As each blow was accompanied by each sound, Gaara felt stronger, safer, and more in control.

The screaming continued for many moments, until Gaara finally heard a loud crunch. Shikamaru howled and tried to motion to himself away, but Gaara could easily see which bone he had broken as it popped up on Shikamaru's left. The blood that surrounded it was beautiful to Gaara's diseased eyes and so he continued to beat the same area, crushing one of the bones. It was satisfying, but not enough. Nothing was enough. The only thing that mattered in this moment to him was finishing off Shikamaru's aggression and making him docile as he should have been.

Despite the pain that he kept on feeling, Shikamaru still hadn't said anything other than screaming. And Gaara wasn't going to have that.

"TALK!"

Finally, one of the guards that had been restraining Shikamaru dropped him, the others followed along, and as a result the captive fell onto the ground on his back. Gaara spent a few moments looking over his look, Shikamaru had already been frail and weak when he had been brought in, but now his right eye was missing, and he was bleeding from various scars on his face. Once he realized that he was free, he shoved his hands to his face to try and stop the bleeding, abut yet he still screamed aloud. Meanwhile, Gaara had temporarily turned his attentions to his interrogators.

"_**WHY DID YOU JUST DROP HIM!? DIDN'T **__**I**__** TELL YOU TO-"**_

__"Lord Gaara!" The youngest of the three piped up. "I can't watch this any longer! Stop please! He's learned, he'll talk now-"

_**"**__**No, not yet!"**_

__Gaara pushed himself past his retainers, and then brought his cleaver down on Shikamaru's face, this time being more left side justified than before. His responding scream was horrifying, and Gaara moved himself closer so that he could begin to carve move into his face. His stabs aimed deliberately for places he knew were sensitive, and make sure to bruise his captive's face.

And all Shikamaru could do was scream.

"TALK!"

Shikamaru screamed aloud.

"TALK YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Shikamaru continued to cry out.

"TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW! TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW!"

_"__Please be strong..."_

He longed to reach out to her.

"TALK SHIKAMARU, TALK!"

_"__I'm right here with you.. you'll survive, that is what I swear to you..."_

_ "... Damn it Shikamaru... I warned you..."_

_ "Boy... __endure.__"_

Finally, another misplaced blow to the head caused Shikamaru to snap again.

"TALK!"

"STOP IT! STOP IT PLEASE-."

Before he could finish his plea, Gaara imbedded his cleaver into his chest again, and the blood that came out seemed to flow. All while he laughed manically.

"JUST KILL ME PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T-."

_"__Begging wont save you now."_

"You do not hold the reigns anymore! You do not own your life anymore! It is **MINE**!"

Another attack. By now, Shikamaru's voice was barely audible.

"Stop! Stop! Ple-."

"Tell me what we want then! Tell me what we need!"

There was another blow to his head, and by now he was crying. His final form of humiliation. The guards looked away in disgrace, and Shikamaru heard another thing crack within his mind.

_"...__I'm here love... I'm here..."_

Gaara's demented laughter echoed throughout the chamber.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**WARNING: Still some ****creepy**** descriptions, but not as bad as the last scene.**

Shikamaru could hear Temari's sweet voice as he was returned to his cell.

He still whimpered, and he let out a yell when his captors dropped him to the ground, his battered body meeting the metal below. One of them turned off the lights of the entire chamber that he was in, while Shikamaru used the last of his strength to roll himself up into a ball, facing away from his cell's door. For good measure, the elder captor looked back at the man once last time.

Gaara had truly left his mark on Shikamaru, and if that was his intent then he had succeeded. The right side of his face was nearly unrecognizable, his eye was missing, and a large portion of his skin near his jaw had simply been pulled off, likely during one of Gaara's stabbings. The left side of his face was adorned with their own scars, and during the proceedings, the ear on that side of his face had been misshapen, likely barely working from the looks of it. Large portions of his body were still bleeding from the "interrogation" from earlier, and at the memory the man scowled. That had been no interrogation.

That had been a glimpse of the Inferno.

The screams that Shikamaru had produced still rung in the head interrogator's ears, but none such screams were heard now. Instead, Shikamaru's cradled body had slowly uncurled, and the man watched as he weakly reached out a hand towards the wall. His eyes were focused on the stone slab as well, and the man who stood found this a little odd.

But considering what the man had went through earlier, he could understand the strangeness.

After watching the man for a few moments to make sure that he didn't go into shock, he knelt down and took out a single handkerchief, and laid it on Shikamaru's bare and bloody back. He would be fine until he was able to fetch a more skilled doctor in the morning. Afterwards, he quickly left the man alone, shutting the door to his cell...

But... even as the man did that...

_.."__I'm so sorry Shikamaru... I... I never thought that he would turn into this aga-."_

"S-s-sh...," Shikamaru whispered, trying his best to find a way to smile through his mouth full of fluid. "You... you didn't know... it... it's okay..."

The tears from earlier began to pool back into his eyes, as he reached in front of him, trying desperately reach Temari's hands.

"...St-...stay with me... love... please just... I'm... I'm so sorry...Temari I'm sorry..."

He coughed harshly, and Temari placed her hands on top of his, trying her best to comfort her ailing husband.

_"...__Please Shikamaru... stay strong..."_

Shikamaru licked his lips, and then nodded, his face continuing to be as positive as he could be, a slightly larger smile for her revealing a missing tooth, and emphasizing his dented and peeled chin.

"I... I am... st... strong... l-l-love... but... why..."

Shikamaru could feel tears return to his eyes.

"...Why go... so far... away... please... why could... why can't... stay... ou... I..."

Temari slowly placed a finger on her husband's lips.

_"__Don't talk... rest. You need to rest..."_

Shikamaru's blank stare bore into her soul, and after a few more moments of his tortured, feeble and maimed physique, he was finally granted a peaceful break from the world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Summary of the last 2 piece of this chapter: Shikamaru is graphically and horrifically tortured by Gaara, and is left partially maimed. He is then returned to his cell, where he and Temari reunite.**

_**SPOILERS FOR THE NEXT PART: **No Shikamaru did not die in this chapter. Sorry, I'm just placing it there because my writing can be vague, and that's something that needs to not be vague. He'll be back next chapter, I promise. This is still a **Shikamaru** story, after all._

_And that was the end of this chapter! Did you all like it! I hope you did. And for the record, thank you all (once again) for sticking with me this far in. Although I will reiterate again, there is a method and a light to all of this darkness that you're seeing right now. It's just going to take a little while for us to get there._

_As for other things, it looks like I might have to go on a Hiatus for the month of January. Don't worry, I'll try to get another chapter out on the first week of February. For now, I guess you all could try and guess what will happen next, or try to read something more lighthearted before I return XD. But seriously, thank you all for reading my story this far. Please R&amp;R if you have the time to, and have a great Holiday season, and a Happy New Year!_


	42. Desperation

_AN: Welcome to Part 41! And here we start another mini-arc. _

_I'm trying my best to get the chapters shorter and move the story faster, and I'm also trying to get to the hopeful parts of my story, but for now I still need to finish some minor "world building". You'll enjoy it, but I'm just warning that it's going to be a bit long. I'm trying to work on my chapter lengths though. This fanfiction is already waay too long I feel._

_Remember, if anyone has any suggestions, I'm pretty open to them. Alright, now let's begin!_

_**I do not own Naruto.** _

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_ Each step that Shikamaru took brought him closer and closer to Hell. But despite knowing this, he kept on walking._

_ Every step produced an eerie, crunching sound underneath his feet, and each breath he took simply made him regret his actions more and more. Around him, he could hear the fires that burned crackle and laugh at him, as if taunting him about his fate. And as his eyes travelled around to see the scenery that he was in, his blood began to run cold. _

_ Everything in the village was on fire. _

_ Save for the sand, but even that felt as if it would eventually melt the Nara clan head into it, and take him down. He could see buildings in rubble, and the few plants that still lined the sides of the village were dead and dying. Every now and then, he would be able to peak into an alley or a corner to see a dead Sand Ninja, but he knew that the majority of them had been able to leave well before this calamity occurred. And every now and then, he'd be able to see the dead body of a villager. A husband. A wife. Or a child._

_ Everything in the village was on fire... and it was all his fault._

_ As his mind struggled to come to terms with his current reality, he suddenly felt a hand land on his right shoulder. _

_ "... What she doesn't know can't hurt her."_

_ And in a sudden burst of emotion, Shikamaru turned around to punch the man in his face._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Naruto Uzumaki fell into his seat, and then leaned back on the back of his chair. He placed his hands onto his knees, and then closed his eyes. Moments later, he felt Hinata's hands begin to rub his back, and he heard a door open and shut loudly. A series of footsteps followed, and soon he heard whoever had entered move himself to the front of his desk. The Hokage sighed, and then the person in front of him spoke.

"This has gone on for too long."

Instead of answering Sasuke, Naruto settled for ignoring him, and instead focusing on Hinata's tender touch. She always knew how to soothe him when he was feeling down, and right now he needed whatever protection he could get from his assailant.

"...We have to call it off. This is... just getting depressing..."

Naruto continued to ignore the man in front of him, and instead slowly leaned his head back on the chair, trying his best to stay calm.

"...Naruto-."

"I'm not calling anything off."

Suddenly, the 7th Hokage leaned up straight on his chair, causing Hinata to remove her hands immediately. He looked in front of him to see Sasuke Uchiha staring him down, his eyes narrowed and his face low and dour. What he hadn't expected, however, was for Choji Akimichi to be standing behind him, the expression on his face being in the same position. He sighed, and then leaned forwards on his desk.

"...What is this about? We've been over this almost a million times, and I'm not calling this off-."

"And like I've told you, we're wasting resources," Sasuke snapped. "Ever since Shikamaru's disappearance, the front lines have been getting closer and closer. We need to place more emphasis on them... we need to begin to move on-."

"I told you that we're _not _done yet. For all we know, he's still out there-."

"And if he is, then he'll understand when we stop looking for hi-."

"Enough."

Naruto slowly raised a brow, and then looked towards the source of the new voice, Choji. Out of the four in the room, he was the one who looked the most affected by their talk, and the one who looked the most aged from all of this. Around his eyes, the wrinkles that had already existed seemed to almost be punctuated, and his mouth was in a permanent scowl.

"... Listen. The Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans all need... closure. If he's really gone, there are preparations to make, and traditions that we have to follow. And..."

The man's voice trailed off, and before it could return, Naruto answered the questions he knew he had in his mind.

"...I understand your concerns... but Shikamaru is a high priority targ-."

"I know you don't want to give up on him. I don't either. But..."

He could see Choji grip one of his fists, and Naruto shook his head softly.

"...It's only fair to his clan, his family and his... friends. Just... pronounce him-."

"No."

Nearly everyone in the room let out a breath of anger, save for the man who had spoken the words. Naruto slowly sat himself up in his chair, and on cue Hinata removed her hands from his body. This conversation had happened far too often in the Hokage's office, and she could tell what state of mind it was putting her husband in.

"...Anyways. Sasuke, how did the results of that scouting mission go? You know that we're always looking for new ways to-."

"For fuck's sake Naruto, were you even listening to us!?"

"... Looking for new ways to infiltrate Sunagakure. So any information of that kind would be welcome-."

"Do you think that Shikamaru would have wanted us to carry on like this?"

"... There's also the fact that they seem to be-."

"What the hell is wrong with you-."

"_I don't give up on anybody, Sasuke."_

Sasuke and Choji both blinked, and then as quickly as he had spoken, Naruto moved to turn on the computer on his desk. They could both see that he was desperate to leave the conversation. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak again, before Hinata interrupted him.

"... Leave him. You too, Choji. He'll call for the both of you when he's ready, for now just continue doing what he told you to-."

"You can't possibly agree with him! It's been-."

"_**I said **__**l**__**eave."**_

Both Sasuke and Choji turned to one another, and their faces said everything that they wanted to. Hinata wasn't a shirking violet anymore, and it usually wasn't a good idea to get into an argument with a Hokage's wife. So, as quickly as they had entered the room, the two left, closing the door quietly behind them.

And once he was sure that they couldn't hear him, Naruto collapsed onto the desk in front of him.

Hinata quickly sprung to action, and pulled him up so that he was sitting up in his chair. Once his face was visible again, she could note that he had finally allowed the sadness and hopelessness in his soul to show, and he took a deep breath in.

"...I fucked it up... He's... He can't be dead... can he?"

Hinata didn't know the answer to his question, but she couldn't let her husband, the father of her children, and her closest friend, suffer alone. Slowly, she returned her hands to his sides, and pulled him into her chest slowly.

"...I don't know. But... they're right. We have to start moving on. Besides... if we let them get too close... if we find him... he wont have a home to come back to."

Naruto's dead eyes simply continued to look out at the wall on the other side of his office, and he quietly lamented the pain that had plagued him since the end of the 10th year of the war. First the ceasefire is violated, then he loses one of his top strategists, and one of his friends. Shortly after, he loses his _General _and a man he's known since childhood. And now, the beast he fought made no signs of stopping, or even becoming tired.

But, at least, there was something he could do.

"...You're... I guess you're right... Alright. Pull some of our outer scouts back, and tell them to guard the line. And..."

Naruto clenched his jaw.

"...Give Mirai more weapons, and keep her armed. I've already failed their family twice. I'm not going to let that boy die."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"...T-...T-..Temari...?"

Shikamaru had awoken in his cell, and the first thing he noticed was her absence. She had been there with him throughout the night, as she used to be, holding him close and keeping him warm, but in the morning she had seemed to completely disappear. His one remaining eye frantically looked around the area that he was in, but he found that he could barely see a foot in front of him, let alone the walls of the cell. He was completely in the middle of it, and when he tried to move his arms, he felt a sharp pain, and cried out loudly.

His senses slowly returned to him after that, but they weren't the senses he wanted. He could feel the right side of his face continue it's bleeding from the day before, and his mind still pulsated and ached. Each short and shallow breath that he took made his lungs sting, and worse still, the breathes he took weren't enough to sustain movement. But that wasn't the worst part of it.

Instead, it was the fact that Temari had left him... again.

He felt his eye water, and he shoved his face onto the ground. He thought that she had returned for good this time, and that maybe this time they could've stayed together. His mind raced a million miles a minute as he thought of all of the good times they could've had, and all of the things they could've done while he laid in his cell, barely still alive. The room wasn't _that _small, they could've eaten here, they could've lived here for an eternity. They could've had tea, they could've played shogi. They could've looked up into the ceiling, and pretended that they could see the clouds.

He took in a harsh gulp, and then continued to sob. He couldn't stand it, not anymore, and not now. He couldn't remember much now, and his mind wouldn't stop torturing him. He needed someone to help him, no, he didn't need that. He needed _her. _All he ever wanted was _her._

"...T-...T-...Tem please..." he muttered. His voice was barely audible, and he was sure that if she was still in the room she couldn't hear him. But despite this, he continued to mutter his words, in a vain hope that eventually she would listen closer.

"...G... Oh... Temari... please... please I... I'm... I'm sorry... please just... I... I need... you..."

Finally, he decided that it would be worth the torment. Slowly, he braced himself, and then reached forwards towards whatever was in front of him, and tried to train his eye there as well. He tried his best to even his breathing, and then continued his mantra.

"Te...Temari pleas... I... Temari I need... please I... I'm... I'm sorry... I'm so _fucking _sorry... please jus... jus..."

The memories of his actions swirled around in his head, attacking him at random intervals, and making him feel even worse than he already was. But he deserved it, his rationale. He deserved every bit of his pain and torture.

But...

"Temari please I..."

He couldn't help...

"I...I..."

But to reach out for something he knew that was unobtainable..

"I'm sorry. Please don't... don't leave me..."

Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands hold his.

He felt himself jump a little, in both his body and his soul, and his good eye slowly looked up to see if his wife had truly returned. But, instead of the face of the beautiful woman that he would never stop loving, it was a face of a man. A grizzled and tough looking man, with a series of scars on the right side of his face, slightly tanned skin, and wearing a black ponytail. This man shared an uncanny resemblance to him...

"...Shikamaru... what did they do to you?"

The voice was instantly recognizable. This man was Shikaku Nara. Shikamaru's late father.

The moment he realized this, Shikamaru's body began to slack. He loved his father, and he had missed him dearly. But his father couldn't help him now.

Only Temari could. She was the only one that could save him.

Shikamaru tried to look away from him, but before he could do so, Shikaku spoke again.

"...Damn... why didn't they just kill you? What the Hell is this supposed to do for them...?"

Slowly, he watched as his father slowly moved one of his large hands to his son's back, and slowly smoothed his back until he stopped his struggling, and he was lying completely against the floor of his cell. Despite his attempts at trying to give his son peace, Shikamaru couldn't help but cry out another time, and his hyperventilating wouldn't end. His father looked over him again, and with each moment of seeing his son's condition, the expression on his face soured and darkened.

"Rest son. Just try to get your strength back. Just.. as much as you can-."

"C-C-can't... rest..."

From his position on the ground, he shivered, and tried to hold out one of his hands in front of him again, before his father pushed it down onto the ground again. Shikamaru let out a moan, and then tried to reach forwards again.

"...Can't... rest without her... I have... I have to find... tell her... find her again..."

"Shikamaru..."

"She was just...j-j-just here. She couldn't... can you... can you help me..? Can you help me find my wife...?"

"Shikamaru..."

"I... I used to... I should've... I should've admitted to it when she was... still h-h-here but... just please help me find her..."

Weakly, Shikamaru extended one of his fingers to point to the distance in front of him. He couldn't see the fact that he was pointing to a wall.

"...I think... I thi-think she went that...that way. That's..."

Shikaku stopped responding to him, and simply continued to look him over with horrified and disapproving eyes. Meanwhile, the current Nara Clan head continued to try and talk.

"...That's the way she... has to be.. that way... or... o-o-or..."

Weakly, he pointed to another direction. It also was a wall.

"Or.. that ay...way... or..."

He slowly rolled his aching body, and then pointed in a new direction, this time barely being able to lift his arm. This time, he was at least pointing to the bars of his cell.

"Or... may... maybe this way...? Or..."

He shivered, and then pointed upwards. He couldn't see that he was pointing to the ceiling of his cell.

"...That way...? But... I don't... I don't want... I don't think so... can't... why would she go there? She was just here with me... I saw her... I touched her again... she's not there... she has to be... maybe one of the other... places... directions...?"

Shikaku sucked in a breath. He had to keep trying.

"...Shikamaru."

"No...no... yes? Yes... will you help me... look for her...? I can't... I can't move now but... if she was here then I'd be able to move...? I think... yes... no... yes-."

"Shikamaru, your wife is dead-."

"No!-"

Shikamaru's sudden shout caused something in his chest to knock against another piece, and voice was accompanied by a whelp. Shikaku could only look away from him, and once he was finished his cry, Shikamaru continued.

"No...ooo... noo... she's not... she's here she's just... I don't know... maybe... maybe she was... maybe if we stay here she'll come back... maybe..."

Shikaku cringed once he began to hear footsteps come down the hallway.

He looked out towards the bars of his son's cell, and noticed that there were also some shadows appearing form an angle that he couldn't see. He took a deep breath. He knew what was coming. He'd seen it far too many times before.

He turned back to his son to see that he had grown testy and frantic, even more so than before. He had shut his eyes, and gripped his face in his hands, all while the rest of his body shook with fear. A sudden and fearful sob came from his lips, and he grit his teeth.

"No... no... no... ooh... please no... Please not now... I... No I can't I can't go... I need to... I need to stay here... what if..."

One of the people who approached the cell began to knock something against the wall, and Shikaku watched as Shikamaru visibly recoiled from the sound. The sight he saw was making him feel helpless, angry, depressed. All signs that he had seen previously pointed to one unsettling conclusion.

Shikamaru had gone bloody mad.

"Please... please can you... can you help... don't let them... don't let them take-."

The man's voice was interrupted by a coughing fit. The footsteps got louder.

"God... I know what... what I've done... I know what I've done but please just..."

They were almost here. And Shikaku had no idea how to remedy the situation.

"Please... I just... father at least you stay... stay here... when Temari comes back... So w-."

Suddenly, Shikaku held his son on his shoulders.

Shikamaru's eye was still unfocused, and even as his father gazed at him it wandered around his cell, the bars on the outside getting the most attention. His breathing was uneven, and he could feel tears coming out of him from his one good eye. He growled, and then closed his eyes.

"...Shikamaru... hold on. Just... hold on."

Shikamaru reacted as if he hadn't heard him. The former Nara clan head shook his head, and then looked away.

When the guards finally reached Shikamaru's cell, they moved in to grab him quickly. The prisoner made a few loud resists, even squirming around in one of their arms, before another gave him an injection of something, and the man calmed until he had gone unconscious. Shikaku watched as they carried his son out of the cell, towards a place he could not follow, and did not know.

One thing he did know though, was that his son needed to escape soon. Or else he'd be lost to the penalties of his genius. Silently, Shikaku held up a hand sign, and slowly dissipated into nothing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shino Aburame pulled up a chair, and then sat up straight in front of the desk.

"Now, Shikadai, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Shikadai rolled his eyes, and then leaned back into his chair.

"Nothing. Now bug off."

Shino blinked.

"...I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a pun-."

"It's not. I want to go home. Let me go home."

Shino scowled, and then idly looked up at the clock. It was 4pm in the afternoon, and it had been an hour since his school day had ended. He and Shikadai were alone in their usual classroom, but speaking about an unusual topic.

"Not until we figure this out. Why would I keep you here for so long? I worry about your marks, Shikadai."

"Oh please. I've never been an A student."

"But before you were at least passing your classes. Now you're failing."

Shikadai kicked his legs up onto the desk in front of him. Shino sighed.

"Drop the act."

"Wha-?"

"I know you're hurting. Why don't you tell me what's really wrong? You're scared, but-."

"You think I'm scared!?"

"That's not what I meant. You know what I meant..."

There was a pause. Shikadai continued to look at his teacher as if he were nothing but a piece of dirt. Shino held his scowl.

"...I know what's been going on in your family, Shikadai. And I know it's hard. If... if you need any time off of school, I can give that to you-."

"You don't know what you're talking about! And I don't need time off of school. Save it."

Shino paused.

"... You don't have to be so hostile-."

"Well clearly I do. It's been... how long... and you guys can't tell me what happened to my Dad? What... do you think I'm _stupid?" _

_ Here it is, _Shino thought.

"I figured it out a while ago you know? Why else would he be gone for so long? Why else would he..."

His small voice trailed off, before he himself looked at the time, and he let out a breath.

"...Screw this."

Quickly, the boy stood up, picked up his bag, and then moved to leave the room. Before he could, however, his teacher stood, and within moments, the door to exit the room was covered in a large assortment of insects. Shikadai yelped, and then Shino stood up.

"...Well now at least I have an idea on how to help you. And maybe we were wrong to lie to you for so long." Shino kept his voice open, as if he was trying to welcome conversation.

"... It's true. We have no idea where your father is. And we haven't for some time now. We sent him off on a mission, and only his teammates returned. Previously, we had thought that we had found his body-."

"_**What?**_"

"... But it turned out to be a decoy. Whatever he's involved with is deeper than any of us can really figure out. And because of that, we have no idea about his whereabouts, or even if he's still alive."

Shikadai still didn't turn around. But he didn't need to.

"... We're sorry for what's happened to your family... but please don't give up hope. You're next in line to lead the Nara clan... and they're going to need you, especially now, to be strong. And there's still much you can do... even without parents-."

Suddenly, Shikadai took a grip of the insect laden door, and pushed himself through, for once not caring about the bugs in front of him. Shino let out a shout, but before he could make another move, the boy was away from his sight. He rushed himself down the hallways of his school, and then quickly left through a back door. Shikadai kept on running until he made his back back to his home, kicking open the door. Mirai wouldn't be back from her mission for a while, and he was sure that the rest of his clan members were away at work. Once he was sure that he was alone...

He began to break everything.

He threw his bag into his TV set, breaking it again. He threw his father's special shogi board to the ground. He kicked his parent's bed, and made a mess of their room, save for their closet. He went into his bathroom and threw his toothbrush and toothpaste to the ground. He didn't stop, he couldn't stop. He was just angry, he was just upset. He needed to find a way to get it out. He hated them. He hated his parents. They left him all alone, they barely even said goodbye. He continued on his path of destruction...

Until he met eyes with his mother's shrine.

It was a beautiful thing in a now ruined house. Memories came back to haunt him, and he felt his breath hitch. The picture that his father had chosen for the shrine was the best one that they had ever taken of her. Her hair up in her signature four ponytails, her body wrapped in a Nara Clan kimono. That signature smile on her face, the same one that he had been born with. Her happiness radiated through the picture frame, and began to touch Shikadai's very soul.

Quietly, he moved himself towards the shrine, and knelt before it. Like he had done every day, he lit the incense that stood there, and then said a small prayer. He felt a feeling wash over him, and then he slowly left, instead moving into their room. His anger didn't feel right anymore, so he moved to try and clean up the mess he had made, putting things away neatly. He continued to do so, until while putting away a broken shard of glass he opened a drawer...

To see a picture of his family.

It must have been taken more than six years ago, he suspected. He was still babe in his mother's arms, and she sat on a chair, while his father stood proud and tall behind her, his eyes soft and looking at his child. He saw his own face, his eyes wide and curious, which was causing both of his parents to look so at peace, to look so happy. Everything was right in the picture, nobody was missing. Nobody had just returned home from an eternal war, and now crying on his wife's lap, trying to get over the horrors of what he'd seen and what he'd done. Nobody was sitting up alone in the kitchen late at night, worried about if her husband was going to return. Nobody was trashing their house and angry at everything, trying to understand why his parents had both decided to die on him...

And that was when Shikadai's tears began, and his sobs followed soon after.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"...What is the status of... our prisoner?"

The man who stood in front of Gaara could barely hide his contempt for him. But in a strange occurrence, he was sure that his Kazekage didn't care. Instead, the man seemed comfortable in his large , puffy chair, sitting behind his impressive desk. Suddenly, the Kazekage tapped his fingers against the tabletop. He was waiting for a response.

"... He's 'recovering', sir. We have your surgeons operating on him, and he was conscious when we retrieved him. However..."

There was an awkward pause.

"... Well?"

"... His brain damage can never be repaired, he'll never have his full sight back, and he's almost certainly half deaf. It was hard to finish the diagnostics, though. He's... not right in the head-."

"He's never been right in the head. He's been a filthy Butcher for a long time now-."

"No! I mean... Lord Kazekage... that's not what I meant."

"...Explain."

The man in front of him took a breath.

"... He's ill at best. When we grabbed him from his cell, he resisted frantically and loudly, and so we had to inject him with our serum. After he came to in the hospital, all he could do was ask us to... well..."

"Nothing you can tell me is going to surprise me. Go on."

"...He asked us to kill him multiple times, but then he stopped, and then asked us to bring him back to his cell, and that he was expecting someone to meet him there. After we told him about what he was, who he was, he told us he didn't care, and that he just needed to get back to his cell so that he could speak to someone very important. One of the guards threatened to throttle him, and he just kept on with his mantra. When he spoke to us, he didn't make eye contact with us, almost as if he were speaking to someone else. It was... eerie..."

_What did you do to him? _The man's question got stuck in his throat. Gaara raised a brow for a few moments, before he steeled his resolve, and nodded.

"... I see."

"How do you want us to proceed sir?"

"...Insane... hm?"

"Yes. That's what some of the medical nin called it."

"... Heal him until he's about... say... half well. _**Then tell me, and we can continue.**_"

There was no point in pretending to be civil now.

"But Lord Kazekage-."

"But what?"

"He might di-."

"_**Good then. **_We have all seen what he has done to _**us. **_Why would we give him quarter when he's never done so to us?"

The man in front of him fell silent, and Gaara continued.

"... I can understand a little of your worries. But you do not need to doubt me. Thankfully... the man has given me relevant information once... just one time over these past few months.."

Gaara stood up, and then left his seat to go look at his view of the Sunagakure skyline. The man who had once been in front of him waited for him to continue.

"... I need you to send for three of our best shinobi. And then you need to prepare them for a very special mission. Make sure that the three of them are extremely trustworthy."

"Of course... sir. Of course. But... may I ask what mission this would be for? Just so I can prepare them."

Gaara turned his head to face him.

"Of course. The three will be tasked with going to Konohagakure... _and retrieving Shikamaru's son._"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Alright, I would like to thank all my readers again, and yeah. Just thank you for reading this story for a good year! I'm going to try my best to keep up with the deadlines, and see if I can finish writing it by this December. It shouldn't take much longer, but as a warning we are definitely looking at 400k+ words. This is getting awfully long, but I hope you don't mind. This is actually the longest fiction I've ever written, and I'm also slowly getting better at writing, and most importantly, writing conscience**, **and only writing about the important things, lol. Alright you all. I'll update by February 14th. Please remember to R&amp;R (read and review), I do read and love your reviews!_


	43. The Butcher

_AN: Sorry for the slight delay. My internet was down for the entire weekend, so I had to endeavour to find a way to upload this as soon as possible. I couldn't prevent the delay._

_Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a little long though. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_ The punches were easy to throw. That was something that scared him. But, to be fair, the other man was fighting back._

_ Anyone from afar would've thought that the two were more akin to mortal enemies than old friends. The moment he had felt the punch, Kiba struck him back harder, and soon the two were tussling on the floor, fighting each other over sand. The grainy sand. The sand that was dripping with blood from previous events._

_ Eventually, their fighting got some attention._

_ "Hey! Hey! Break it up! Break it up!"_

_ As Shikamaru shoved another fist into Kiba's face, he suddenly felt a pair of large hands grab him from behind, and throw him off of him. He landed on another piece of sand, and when he scrambled to his feet, he saw that it was Choji who threw him, and that he was now helping Kiba to his feet. To his other side, he saw Sasuke watching, his eyes narrowed at the both of them. As the heat returned to his head, he saw Kiba notice him again._

_ "What the fuck was that for?!" He spat. "I was just trying to give you some advice-."_

_ "And how is that advice supposed to help me!? And not just make things worse?!" Shikamaru shouted back. Both Choji and Sasuke turned to him. _

_ "Do you know what **I** did... fuck... you saw what **I** did?!"_

_ "You didn't do this by yourself," Sasuke replied. "Calm down-."_

_ "Calm down!? You're telling me to calm down!? Fuck... One of you tells me to calm down, and then the other tells me to **fucking **lie?!"_

_ "Shikamaru we're on a battlefi-."_

_ "You think that this shit is going to change for me once I get off it?!"_

_ Sasuke paused to allow Shikamaru to elaborate, his words coming out like the tortured yowls of a dying animal._

_ "After all of this, I've got to go home, and I've got to explain what happened. I'm going to have to see the look in **her **eyes when I tell her, and she's **never **going to stop looking at me like that. Like I'm some sort of... murderer or... some butcher. When none of this... none of this shit was my idea!"_

_ "We know Shikamaru. She'll understand-."_

_ "Oh she'll understand alright. She'll understand that her husband's a lazy coward who can't keep a hold of his own fucking army. She'll understand that her husband's-."_

_ "Stop chewing yourself up over this!"_

_ "Why don't you start caring?!"_

_ Sasuke paused his talk, and watched as Shikamaru's eyes took another turn, this time less angry and more upset._

_ "Don't you know how they're going to start treating us after this?! Don't you know how much harder its going to make negotiations, treaties, agreements!? We're no longer just "the other village". Now we're the village that-."_

_ "Enough, Shikamaru! Stay calm! You're supposed to be good at this-."_

_** "I'm also not supposed to kill this many people!"** _

_ Sasuke blinked, and then Shikamaru turned away from him, looking towards an alleyway near him. Despite the darkness that existed within it, all of the people around him cold see the blood on the floor..._

_ "...None of this was supposed to happen... None of this... fuck..."_

_ Shikamaru slowly brought a hand up to cover his face._

_ "... She'll never trust me again after this..."_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

For the first time in a while, Ino felt very uncomfortable viewing Kankuro's memory. Primarily because this memory involved him fucking someone.

She heard the moans from her position in the room, and turned away, trying to cover her ears to spare herself from the spectacle. She had heard rumours of his sexual exploits before, both in the time line she inhabited and in the other memories that she had viewed, and because of that she really didn't _need_ to see him naked. Nor did she need to see the woman he was with at all, but there she was, her head down against the sheets of his bed, her body vibrating-.

_Wait._

Ino turned herself back to the spectacle in front of her, and tried her best to eke something out of the memory that could have been useful. It took her a few moments of peering through the darkness to figure out the identity of the woman that Kankuro was sexing, and it was none other than Shiori, his second in command and the same woman that she had seen as his wife in the other flashback. As the two worked and played, Ino found herself looking through what she could see of the Kazekage Brother's room, especially inspecting the pile of papers on his desk, and found that it was still early in the war at this point, and it was dead in the middle of Sunagakure's sandstorm season. A quick glance out the window would also support this piece of information. At the very least, it was possible that she would soon find something of some use here. The sex might have been useless and unappealing to her, (she much preferred her own husband's smooth touches to whatever Kankuro was doing), but pillow talk always had the potential to be intriguing.

And so, she found a seat within the memory, and sat down to watch the couple. It was only a few minutes after she saw that the two finished their act, and laid down on the bed that they had been in, on their backs, panting frantically for breath. Shiori pulled sheets over the both of them, and Kankuro wrapped a protective arm around her frame, pulling her closer to him. Ino watched as she licked her lips, and then smirked.

"That was great. As always."

Kankuro shrugged in return. Ino raised a brow at this. Usually the man was so sure of himself. But here he looked almost... vulnerable...

"Well... you heard the rumours. They wouldn't have been spread if they weren't true, I guess..."

Shiori continued panting heavily, but then raised a brow.

"Hm? What's the matter?...Did you like it-."

"Of course I did. I always do..."

His voice trailed off, and his arms simply wrapped around her a bit tighter. She continued her quizzical look towards him for a few moments longer, before letting the topic drop to move onto a different conversation.

"Well, we should probably... get some sleep... that is if we're not trying to get through a... second round," she panted. "We still need to go over the schematics for Eden again, new measurements and the like came through. And then... well we need to... attend that council meeting... right? Or at least... you definitely have to... I don't know if I'd be important enough to... attend-."

"You're important enough, don't worry," Kankuro finished. Ino began to notice that his tone of voice was very finite, and almost seemed to be begging for an end to the conservation. It soon was clear that Shiori noticed this too.

"Ok, that's it. Something's off about you."

"Well, we just fucked. I'm just tired."

"No, it's not just that. You've been like this for the past while now, distant in the meeting rooms, distant towards me in the bedroom. It's just... so unlike you to be this down and snappy."

Kankuro looked away from her. "It's just... the war."

"The war's been going on for years now and you only started acting this way in the last few months. It can't just be that."

"Well... it's just the time of year."

"You're not just acting like this because it's the Holidays."

"Let's drop this."

"Let's not."

"Liste-."

"You're upset about something, and it has something to do with _me, _doesn't it?"

Kankuro paused for a while, and then turned himself so that now his body was facing the wall beside his bed.

"...Goodnight Shiori."

"And that's just what I mean. Did I do something to piss you off?"

"Sweet dreams-."

"You're deflecting."

"No, I'm just tired of talking about this. You're right, we have work in the morning."

"Deflecting again."

"No, I'm just tired of talking about this-."

"What's wrong with you Kankuro?"

"What's wrong with _you? _I'm tired, let's drop this-."

"I'm not dropping it until you tell me what problem you have with me."

"I'm going to sleep."

"And I'm going to keep asking you about it-."

"_**Dammit! **_Why don't you just leave me alone!?"

"_You're _the one that wanted to sleep with me tonight!"

Kankuro turned himself around to look a her again, and his eyes took it's usual, angry glare.

"And it was great! And I had a lot of fun! Now leave me be!"

"_No. _What exactly did I do?"

"Well you wont drop the conversation for one."

"This has been going on since before then. Just let me-."

"_**No."**_

__"Fuck Kank we're friends let's-."

"_And that's my problem."_

As suddenly as Kankuro's outburst came, was as sudden as his voice disappeared. Shiori's eyes widened, as did Ino's, and Kankuro rolled back to his side of the best, avoiding eye contact again. The room was quiet for a few moments after, even their breathes subsided, but soon Shiori's nature would lead her to question the man again. Slowly, she turned herself to face his back, and then brought herself up against his back, rubbing circles into his back.

"...What do you mean by that...?"

Kankuro let out a sigh.

"...Goodni-."

"What's so wrong about us being friends? Well... 'special friends', considering the situation we're in."

"...Fine. It's not that. I'm just... I never wanted to be... _just _'Special friends.'."

He went silent for a while.

"... When I first asked you, I was actually trying to... well-."

"Ask me out? Like a... like your...?"

Kankuro nodded, and then Ino watched the shocked expression on Shiori's face grow. She slowly propped herself up on an elbow, and, mouth agape and her eyes wide, she spoke again.

"... I should've known..."

"I should've been more clear. But then when you mentioned _this _idea... I sort of just went with it. It was at least... _some _of what I wanted to do with you, I'm not going to lie. But..."

When his voice trailed off again, she tried to get it back on track.

"...How long have you felt like this about me...?" An eyebrow raised as she said this.

"... A few weeks after the war began. I just... it happened slowly. It wasn't on first sight... I mean..."

Kankuro shook his head.

"Forget it. Goodnight Shiori-."

"**No. **I'm not just going to fall asleep and forget about this. Not after all you've told me so far. Continue. I want to hear how you really feel."

She gripped his side.

"Please."

Kankuro considered it for a moment, and then continued to speak, his tone soft and almost caressing to Ino's ears.

"Ok. Well... like I said, it was a slow burn. I didn't notice it at first, I swear I didn't. But over the years... I guess things just change for some people, right? You start to see things differently, you start to re-evaluate things. And... one of the things I started to notice was how I acted towards you. You noticed it too, right? I'd get angry when people underestimated you, I'd try to send you on all of the safer missions somewhat arbitrarily. I just... became more protective of you. I enjoyed your company, I loved talking to you. And now... Well..."

Kankuro took a deep breath, and Ino could tell that he was experiencing the beginnings of a headache.

"...Yes. I think I... _love _you. I don't just want to be friends and fuck every once in a while. I want to... I want to be _more." _

At this, Shiori let out a shallow sigh, and then steeled her resolve. Slowly, the circles she drew with her finger tips on his back began so subside, and as a response Kankuro tried to continue his complicated thoughts.

"But... you know... it's fine if you don't want to do this with me. I get it. I'm sort of a- I _am _a huge asshole, I barely have time to be a good boyfriend, and I don't want any kids-."

"What makes you think I want kids?"

Kankuro paused.

"... I just sort of assumed-."

"Why? Because I'm a woman?"

Kankuro shook his head quickly, and Ino could tell that he was beginning to regret his careless talk. But, after a moment or two of silence, Shiori's own awkward laughs began to fill the confines of the bedroom, and she leaned into closer to his back, placing her head on his shoulder.

"Hm. Well, that's a relief. Here I thought you were beginning to actually hate _me. _But... wow... I guess I'm just glad that I'm not the only one who feels the same way about this shit. Truth is... I guess... sure. Yes. We're already in this situation... I guess I would like to see how it's like being your girlfriend, Kank. Better than continuing this charade."

"You mean it? You mean you'd be fine-."

"Of course. As long as we take things slow..."

Shiori then blushed.

"...At least with our emotions. We've already sort of... well you know."

Kankuro chuckled.

"You're the one who suggested it. It's like you to skip to the fun part of things."

"Oh, you think this is fun?"

"Well for me it is."

"It'd be more fun if you'd actually listen to my instructions."

"Heh. You sure didn't seem to mind back there..."

"Well you were fucking my brains out back there. Of course I didn't notice then."

The two chuckled for a few moments, and Ino continued to look over them, her eyes narrowing. It seemed that this would be yet another useless memory that she was stuck in. No more hints as to what _Eden _was, no more hints towards Sunagakure's war plan, no more hints towards ideas that Konohagakure could exploit...

But she couldn't lie. Scenes like this were cute. Until she realized the time that she was wasting.

She saw the two of them talk for a while longer, before Kankuro turned to kiss her, and Ino faded from the memory. Slowly, the view in front of her changed from the lonely bedroom back into her inverted vision of Kankuro's puppet room. In front of her sat Kankuro's puppet frame, in his hands a long snake puppet, it's eyes marvellously sparkling jewels. His eyes raised to look at her, and his limbs cackled as he spoke.

"Find anything you like?"

Ino spat onto the ground in front of her.

"Not yet. But I've already got a lot of dirt on you."

"Ha. You think that you can threaten me with my wife? I know she's safe. I know that Gaara would be taking care of her in my stead. I know that she's wealthy beyond her wildest dreams..."

The puppet paused, and then the snake in his hands began to slither around his body.

"Do you know how far she's come? I remember meeting her, what... fifteen years ago? I heard her story of how she became a shinobi. She literally once had to dumpster dive for food, and now she's married to the second richest man in Sunagakure. What a story, eh? A woman like her deserves the jewelleries of the world... A woman like you deserves to be destroyed-."

"Yawn. You have anything more for me? Because I wasn't even planning on using her against you."

"Then what were you planning on using?"

Ino let out a cocky smirk.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

Kankuro's puppet took on a confused gaze. Silently, Ino wondered if the puppet she saw of him within his mind was some form of his conscious, or if she was simply imagining him all together. Time would tell.

"...It doesn't matter. Because I'd never sell out my village, not from my own mouth. Eventually, you'll run out of memories to view. Eventually, I'll forget the more important things-."

"Just shut up."

Before the puppet of Kankuro could do anything more, Ino cut off her access to his mind, and woke up back in reality. If she was being honest with herself, the puppet was right. She needed to begin to think of another way to get Kankuro to talk.

It was a good thing that she already had an idea of how to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mirai Sarutobi found Shikadai Nara in the most unexpected place; sitting on a cliff in his clan's forest, and looking out towards the image of Hokage Mountain.

The sky was a sickly red today, and she couldn't help but note that it fit the general mood of most of Konohagakure's inhabitants. It was now half a year since their general had disappeared, and for the Nara clan, seven months since they had any proper leadership. Even though it was late Spring, the deer that had once been plentiful in the forest were now a distant memory, having become sparse since the days of Shikamaru's rule, and the rest of the Nara clan that she had come across seemed to be doing the same thing. She noted that the clan had never really been an _active _or _loud _clan, but the silence that the Nara compound expressed was damming and unusual, even for them.

And it had now been two weeks since Shikadai had even attended school.

As she left the thick forest behind her, she took a deep breath. She had been out on various missions, trying to do all that she could to help the village, and hadn't had the time to spend with her own mother lately, let alone with the ward in which she had been entrusted. Although, now that she saw Shikadai again, she silently doubted that she could've helped, even if she had been able to stay with him before. It was clear that he was sick as she walked towards him, and his memorable teal eyes now were bordered by red and tired lines. He hadn't done his hair today, and according to the rest of his clan, he hadn't put it up into his signature ponytail for a while now. He was still wearing his regular clothes, but she could tell that he hadn't washed them in an equally long time.

Finally, it was clear that his senses were dulling, as he hadn't turned around to greet her as she made it obvious that she was in the area.

Her mind tried to race towards a solution, and she tried to think of a way to help the child. Memories of the things that her mother and Shikamaru had told her came to mind, but she failed to see how any of the advice could help the boy that she approached now. She looked up at the Hokage Monument, seeking a lick of guidance, and found none there either. It seemed that she would be on her own for once in her life. But, she couldn't back down. Shikamaru had entrusted his only son in her care. She couldn't fail him, not after all he had done for her and her mother.

She sat herself down on the ledge next to Shikadai, and he finally noticed her presence. He coughed into his hand.

"...Hey Mirai..." His voice was weaker than his frame.

"Heya Bambi-."

"_**Don't call me that!**_"

Mirai blinked. Shikadai's eyes trained on her in an angry manner, a manner that she had only seen occur in Temari's eyes once. Her eyes trained on his for a while, and then, after a few moments, Shikadai blinked, and then turned away from her.

"...Sorry. I didn't mean to-."

"No, I understand." Mirai lifted her legs up from the edge of the cliff, and then held onto them.

"...You know rumours have been spreading. They say that you're going through hard times now..."

Shikadai nodded, and then looked away from her, training his eyes on Hokage Mountain. They were a great distance away, but it's grandness still prevailed through the separation.

"My Dad's dead. My Mom's dead too. And... I don't know. I don't know anymore..."

"You don't have to know-."

"Of course I do." Shikadai paused, and then sniffed into his hands. Mirai could tell that he would begin to cry very soon.

"They all look towards me... you know? I mean the other members of my clan? They're expecting me to lead them, or guide them or... I don't know... something. But... I don't know what to do. I don't know if I should tell them to leave me alone, because they really need me to lead. I'm... My parents are gone, so that makes me the clan leader. But... I don't know how to lead them. And lead them to do what...?"

Shikadai sniffled again.

"I mean...Why? ...Why did they have to go and die...? My Dad didn't even teach me anything about leading or... or anything else I don't know how to manage anything the way that they want me to. And... I just can't take it. The clan wants me to lead them... everyone in town just... looks at me and then whispers something when they think I'm not looking or paying attention... but I am. I hear everything, all their whispers. 'There goes... there goes Shikamaru's orphan.' 'His eyes are like her's, poor thing.' 'Hopefully the Nara genius didn't skip a generation. Or else...' I just..."

Shikadai covered his face with his hands.

"...And the worst part of all of this is that... he lied. The Hokage _**lied **_to me. He said that I was going to be fine. He gave me his word. And now... nothing's alright. My Mom's _**dead**_. My Dad's _**dead**_. You guys are still fighting a war. And... I don't know what to do..."

Finally, Mirai placed a hand around Shikadai's shoulder, and pulled the young boy into her chest. She began to hear his cries begin.

"...Shikadai. You're barely eight years old. Please... don't talk like that. You have too much more to experience to become jaded now-."

"Experience more what? More bullshit?"

"No. Well... yes. Sigh... listen. Life... in life there is a lot of bullshit, yes. But... you can't give up now..." She paused.

"What about all the people you've never met? What about all the people you've never got to love? What about-."

"I don't want to meet them. I don't want... I..."

He sniffed.

"I just want my parents back."

Mirai closed her eyes, and Shikadai finally let his tears flow. For many more moments, the two were quiet, except for Shikadai's cries. Mirai began to rub her hand over his back. He was too young to be experiencing these loses, and worse still, now he had no one to confide in. Except for her. Her... barely older than a teenager.

She opened her eyes, and then tried her best to figure something out. Her eyes rested on the Hokage monument in the distance...

And she finally figured out something to soothe her ward with.

"...Shikadai. Have you ever heard of the Will of Fire?"

Shikadai's cries slowly subsided, and he raised his head slightly, so that Mirai could barely see his eyes.

"...No. I haven't."

Mirai tried her best to smile warmly at him.

"Well... it's a damn shame then. They should've taught you about it during your first year in the academy. But knowing you, you would've just been asleep during the lesson."

"Mirai... I don't get how this is supposed to help me-."

"It will in a little bit. Just let me explain it. The Will of Fire is the will that all Konohagakure residents are born with. It's... a drive. A drive to protect the innocents of this village, and with some people, the innocents of the entire world. When you become a shinobi... you stop thinking about yourself. Instead, you're thinking about everyone else. Whether it be your comrades, your village, or... your family. But... when you're a shinobi... your village is your family. Your bonds, they become deeper than just blood."

She took a deep breath.

"...Your old man... he understood this. Your mother... she understood it too. Every shinobi understands this. Hell... even I understand this. At any moment our lives could be taken away, and we're all just fine with it. Because we know that we're fighting for something greater than ourselves. We're fighting for... well..."

She poked his nose, and Shikadai flinched.

"We're fighting for the next generation. The _"King". _That's what your father called it-."

"How is my Mom being murdered working towards fighting for me?"

"Shikadai, your mother died _protecting _you and your father."

"I... I don't want them to die. I wanted them to stay and live with me. How are they supposed to do that when they're dead?"

Mirai paused for a very long moment.

"...You know... I asked myself the same thing when my Mom told me about how my father died."

She sat herself up straighter, and then continued.

"... The only thing she could tell me was that if he didn't die there, then it's possible that the village wouldn't exist as it does today. And... to be honest. I still miss my Dad. I wish I had the chance to meet him, and I've missed... so many moments with him. But... I had to accept it. Him going out, fighting and dying for me and my Mom? That was a form of his love."

Shikadai sniffled again.

"... I don't like it."

"It's not ideal. But sometimes... when lives are on the line, it's the only way that they can show us."

"And what are we supposed to do without them? What am I supposed to do without my Mom and Dad?"

"... _**Live, Shikadai."**_

__Shikadai's crying paused, and Mirai took the opportunity to clap him on his back once.

"... It's all you can do now. Is to live, and take advantage of the life that they've given you, to take advantage of the life that they've sacrificed everything to protect. It's... I hate it too. But it's all we can do. The Hokage didn't lie to you. _**You **_will be _alive, _therefore you will be fine."

"... I miss them..."

"...I do too. But we have to keep on with our lives, and love the sacrifices they've made for us, even if we're angry with their choices. If your mother didn't die, then you would've died. And if our fathers didn't go out for us... we wouldn't be alive."

Shikadai's crying continued, now louder than ever. Mirai felt a tear emerge from her right eye, and then brought the boy closer to her, hugging him as tightly as he hugged her. In the distance, the sun finally disappeared from the sky.

"...And _I'm _still here, Shikadai. Your friends are still here. Uncle Choji, Aunt Ino? They're still here too, at least for now. So... we have to do this. We have to live on, we have to be the best we can. We can't give up... not now... not ever..."

_Be a better man than I am..._

Words that Shikadai had never heard returned to his mind. But Mirai's words couldn't be false... but...

He slowly gripped his fists.

"...I'll try-."

"Shikadai, you've spent your entire life _trying_. You have to _do._"

There was a long pause. Shikadai took a deep breath, and he saw his mother and father again.

"...I will. For them."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru shivered, and blinked twice.

"D-d-d-did you hear that?! Who- who- who- who do you think it-it-it could be?"

Weakly, he turned himself towards the bars of his cell. From his position in the corner of his cell, his body continued it's shaking. Beside him kneeling, Shikaku could only frown in sadness.

"D-D-Dad did you he-."

"I didn't hear anything Shikamaru. Please calm down."

"No... it has to be them! They're bac-bac-" he was enveloped in a hacking cough, before he found what was left of his voice again.

"Back... don't... don't let them take me again! Please... not a-a—again."

"No one's coming."

"Y-yes they are can't you hear the-."

"_**No one's coming!"**_

Shikamaru flinched, and Shikaku realized what he had done. His cell was quiet for a few moments longer, before Shikaku came closer to his son, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"...I'm sorry. But no one's coming. Please... just rest. You've been up all night."

Shikamaru's eye trained on his father's, and he tried to give out a smile, even with his few missing teeth messing up his gesture of happiness.

"...No... it's fine... maybe... maybe they're not coming? I don't... I don't know... but... it's been a long time and we... still haven't found Temari. I know she was here, she was here right next to me a long while ago and she's still gone. So we need to find her. So we need to... get out of here... yes!"

Shikamaru then tried to make some movements, reaching his hands forwards to flip himself onto his back so that he could move. But he failed at it, and could barely wave his arms in front of him. He made a loud sob.

"...No... can' go after her. But she.. she'll com back.. right? I'm... I was such a good husband... right? I did... I did everything you told me to do..."

Shikaku shook his head, and then turned away as his son continued his ramblings, keeping a hand on his shoulder to try and support him.

"I... I always let her... choose where we wanted to eat dinner? I always helped her in the kitchen. I was loyal... I never was with anyone but her but... why... why is she leaving why did she go?"

Shikamaru blinked.

"No...noo... did she find out... butcher... Butcher? I'm no... I didn't... I didn't hurt them... I didn't mean to hurt them... It was... mistake I didn't... I didn't know I... no I had to... I had to-."

"Don't talk about that."

"But I... maybe if... maybe if they knew they'd stop hurting me...?-."

"That wont help you at all."

"It might... help a little I'm... I'm not a Butcher I... mistake I didn't..."

"Please. _**Rest. **_You don't know how much longer you have until they come back."

"I can't rest without her."

"Please son."

Shikaku slowly rubbed a hand over his adult son's side, but nothing could help Shikamaru now. He had a few new wounds from his latest torture sessions, but it seemed as if his older scars were almost finished their healing at the very least. But he still bled from his mouth, and his one good eye wouldn't settle down for all his wishes. By now, his hair was long and messy, and his goatee had extended into a weak yet thick beard. His skin was twice as pale as it had been before his capture, and at certain places in his skin his father could see the bones underneath. If it wasn't for his constant fidgeting and shaking, he would've looked just like a corpse.

Suddenly, there was a sound towards the bars of his cell. Shikamaru let out a fearful yelp, and shut his eye. Meanwhile, Shikaku looked towards the sound, and saw that someone had left his son's daily rations. Hard bread. Some sort of doughy and overcooked rice. A cup with likely tainted water. The man who had given it had left as quickly as he had entered, a more common occurrence ever since Shikamaru had lost half his senses. It might have been their way of respecting him; few men could go through that torture, and the only thing they _could _do was give him his temporary peace. He turned back towards his son to see that he was still fidgeting in his side of the cell.

"...Shikamaru. It's just food. Come, eat."

Shikamaru opened his eye, and it twitched.

"...It wasn't supposed to be like that... it wasn't supposed to happen like that...? I just... I just wanted to get... I just had to save the-."

"Come, eat your food."

"I had to save them... Dad. They were important... so... I gave orders-."

"Come, you haven't been eating at all for the last few days."

"I gave orders... but... maybe... I was angry... too angry I-."

"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru blinked.

"Yes... that is... my name. That's what they... I... What have I done? What have... I done?"

Shikaku continued to look at his grown boy with sadness in his eyes, and soon his son's words became unintelligible. Shikaku could do nothing more but stare in pain.

_...We all make mistakes... son..._

"Not... a mistake... worse than a mistake... more... I... I..."

Eventually, his words became coherent again.

"...The kids... the kids they... they killed them because... I wasn't careful enough I didn't specify I didn't... I didn't... I was just trying to... push through... push war front ahead... I was just trying to... save them... I saved them but I... I fucking killed kids I... I... I killed them it was... my order I killed them all I... I... Shikadai... Shikadai's a kid too. Shikadai... I could've... what if they...?"

Shikaku knew that words wouldn't help.

"...Maybe that's why... she left... finally... found out... finally figured it out... so she... left me alone... she left me... I'm.. I'm so...sorry... I... Temari I'm just..."

Finally, his mind sought the rest his body needed, and his eyes closed.

_...And they don't even know you're here, do they? ...My poor son._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"How does this kid even look like?"

A grain of sand was landed upon.

"Gaara said that he looked just like his Dad."

Another step.

"Before or after his interrogation?"

Of course, stealth didn't matter much where they were now.

"...That's not funny."

"Nothing I ever say is funny to you two. But I'm not going to stop trying something new just because I've picked up some haters along the way."

They were close enough, but still far away.

"Please. Keep your jokes to yourself. We're almost in enemy territory now."

Finally, they stopped.

The three shinobi found themselves standing outside of the great forests that marked the Land of Fire, a river separating it and the Land of Wind. To Leaf Shinobi, the woods marked safety. But to Sand Shinobi, they could only mark peril.

"...Alright guys. Remember. We get in, we get the kid, then we get out. And we _do not hurt _the kid. Gaara's in a shitty enough mood as it is, and I don't want to end up looking like The Butcher, if the stories are true anyways."

"Hey I thought we weren't referencing that-."

"Are we all clear? In and out. Quickly, and without raising any alarms."

The other two nodded.

"Hm. Good. Let's go then."

And with that, Sen, Yome and Shira entered enemy territory.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_And that's the end! Once again sorry for the slight delay, but there wasn't anything I could do to avoid it. Now that things are warming up again, we're learning more about the events of the war, etc, and I just hope that you guys are still loving this fanfiction. Also Sen, Yome and Shira are from the 2nd Chuunin Exams filler arc. I watched it and I felt that I needed to try and connect my fanfiction more to the main series. Anyways, I'll try to update now by Feb. 24th. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please Read and Review if you have the time to! _


	44. Confessions Of A Murderer

_AN: SORRY FOR ANOTHER DELAY_

_The internet is still down where I am, but that wasn't the issue this time. Instead, I feel that I'm running into a writer's block with the story, as well that I'm a bit paranoid that this is getting too long. It's already longer than some series of books. _

_Either way, eventually I'm going to be at the end of this arc, and then I'll finally be in the final arc. I'm thinking that I might be able to finish this story off by the end of this year, but that's provided that I can keep myself from getting off schedule, and that the rest of the story is as easy to write as it is to think up. But we'll see. For now, once again, **thank you all for reading. **While it's really hard, I feel that I'm learning a lot from this experience._

_Anyways, enjoy this chapter!_

_Once again, **I do not own Naruto.**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_ He found her waiting on their front porch, just as always. _

_ It was late, and he knew that he was late. But the moment that she wrapped him in her arms and brought him to her chest, he began to forget. For a few brief and precious moments, he found himself able to ignore. Everything he had done on his last tour, every person he had killed and every man and woman he had sent of f to their death was gone from him, and the only thing in his mind that remained was her. Her soft touch, her loving gaze. The hand that now caressed his back and tried to get him into a calm mood. Now, because of her, everything was right in his world, and he could ask for nothing more._

_ But, all paradises have an end._

_ "...You're late."_

_ Her voice was blunt, but not uncaring. Shortly after, Shikamaru slightly pulled away from her, and sucked in a breath. She looked tired and weak, and he could've sworn he had heard coughs and sneezes as he had approached the house. _

_ "I know. I'm sorry. There was something else I had to take care of before I came home."_

_ Temari sighed. Shikamaru gave her a thankful smile in return._

_ "...Thanks for waiting up for me, but you know you don't have to-."_

_ "I know. But it's getting hard to sleep alone."_

_ "Mm. I'm here now, so you wont for a long while yet."_

_ Shikamaru brought her closer to him again, but this time had her back in his chest, and holding one of her hands in front of her. If she needed to, she could fall back, and he would still carry her._

_ "How... was your tour, Shikamaru?"_

_ The enviable. The head of the Nara clan fell silent. _

_ On any other day, he would've been able to answer her right away, with his true feelings present and his honour and integrity intact. But today, he had to wait and consider his next move, as if he were playing a game of shogi with real lives. Like he did as he played his favourite game, he closed his eyes, and took a breath in, only preventing his hands from going into their usual stance. He stood up tall, and felt Temari's body press closer into his. He could faintly hear someone's snoring from inside his home. _

_ "...It was fine. Just tiring."_

_ He could taste his own betrayal. Temari let him off with an agreeable nod, and then Shikamaru began to move the two of them inside. The inside of their home was considerably cold at night, compared to it's warmth in both temperature and emotion in the daytime, and he could hear the heaviness of his footsteps as he walked. He couldn't believe himself. Lying to his own wife, just to keep the peace. Actually following the Dog man's advice. Actually... lying to her. _

_ Everything else he had ever told her had been nothing but the truth in their marriage. And now, when he needed someone to confide in the most... he couldn't bring himself to execute himself. Not due to that. Anything other than that._

_ As they walked back to their room, Temari briefly made a conversation going over everything that had happened to her and Shikadai while he had been gone, and he even found himself laughing at some of their exploits. But, even as he laughed, he could tell that she wasn't truly happy here. As she spoke, her eyes would ever so briefly lower, not because she hated their child, but for a reason that he knew too well. When she had married him, she had become a caged bird. Taken care of, but separated and isolated from her people, as they waged a war against her husband's. He had the power to change that..._

_ But now, he had only made things worse._

_ Eventually, the two came across Shikadai's nursery, and a sudden bought of emotion crawled over the father. _

_ "...Right. I forgot to tell you, Shikadai's begun to walk. Or at least I'm trying to make him. He'll go three, four steps, then sit himself down and declare the entire thing "troublesome". He's sleeping now, and I'm beginning to think that that's the only thing he'll ever want to be good at."_

_ Shikamaru smiled at her._

_ "...I know what you're thinking-."_

_ "Good. Because we both know where he got that from. Thanks, 'Papa.'"_

_ Shikamaru placed a hand on the doorknob to Shikadai's room._

_ "Couldn't have done it without you, 'Mama'."_

_ Temari placed a hand on her hip, and then chuckled._

_ "If you're going to see him, then I can wait out here. I know how important 'Daddy-Sonny' time is-."_

_ "No, go lay down."_

_ Temari raised a brow._

_ "...Why-."_

_ "I can tell you're sick and tired, Tem."_

_ "I can handle waiting-."_

_ Shikamaru gave her a serious look, and Temari narrowed her eyes at him, before letting out a satisfied huff._

_ "...Fine. I'll go lay down, maybe I can get you out your pyjamas-."_

_ "I'm a grown man and you're not my slave. Please... just lay down. You're the sick one, **I'll **bring you some medicine, if we have it."_

_ Temari nodded, and then gave him a loving smile in return. When she turned to go into their bedroom, Shikamaru opened Shikadai's nursery door, and then walked himself in._

_ When he was close enough to the crib, he could see that the boy was completely comatose. He was sprawled out underneath a single, green blanket, and was wearing his sleeping onesie, and a small cap on his head. As he viewed his son, he couldn't help but notice how small he was. The boy was growing, but he could still fit into his father's hands. _

_ After a few moments, tears began to fall from Shikamaru's eyes. He reached into his crib to hold his son, and the moment his hands made contact, he began to hear the screams of the children at the village he had so thoroughly destroyed. When his son's head began to lay on his shoulder, he heard the begging of their parents. _

_ "...Sh...Sh...Shikadai..."_

_ His body began to shake rapidly, and it was causing his voice to waver and quiver. He held his son steady against his chest, and tried to continue his plea._

_ "...Promise your old man something... please... even if... you don't remember I'll... I'll..."_

_ He swallowed his breath._

_ "...When you get older, be a better man than me. Grow into a better man than me. Don't kill... innocent people... protect them. Don't... don't send people off to their deaths. Don't lie to your wife. Don't... don't lie to **her**..."_

_ He heard a small sound from his arms, and looked down to see that Shikadai had awakened, and that he had reached out a single hand towards his father's face, clearly occupied by his tears. His face was confused._

_ And with that, Shikamaru's heart swelled. _

_ "... I was supposed to protect people..."_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"... It would be best if we used Eden for an aggressive measure-."

"We wont have much time for that. You know how they are. If we push too hard, then they'll find a way to be sneaky, hit us where we're not ready to be hit."

Ino watched as Kankuro moved a piece on the map in front of him backwards. On the other side of the table, Gaara moved that piece back into place.

"I know that I agreed to it's production, and to the purpose of it's production, but as things stand now, we have no time for something that cannot be used to attack."

Kankuro narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want me to do? Re-design everything?"

"That might help. Re-design it so that we can eventually make it have offensive measures."

The older brother frowned, and then nodded.

"...Fine."

"You will end up liking my idea in the end. All those resources shouldn't go towards something useless."

_Ugh, another light memory._

Ino rolled her eyes. She had been in the memory for an hour now, and at this point she was sure that her chakra would eventually run out. And this hadn't been the first useless memory that she had been caught in. It had been a long string of them. There hadn't been many memories of war plans in the first place. And it was clear that, in real life, she was running out of time.

So she prepared to end her jutsu. That was, until a person came to the door of the room that the two brothers were in, and knocked. Kankuro looked at his brother again, before leaving the war table, and moving to open the door. The person on the other side of it was Shiori.

He opened his mouth to say something, but, as usual, she got her first word in.

"I know I'm interrupting something, but if you don't come now then you'll hold it against me! Come on!"

She gripped Kankuro's right arm, and then pulled him out of the room. Gaara blinked, and then stood from the war table to follow the two of them down the hallway. Ino followed them as well, mildly curious as to what they could be so invested in. If she couldn't find a useful memory within his mind, then perhaps there was a way to make him talk. There was a turn in the hallway, and she followed the curve...

And once she saw what was in front of her, the image of a little girl with blue chakra strings flowing from her hands made her realize. She had known the key to Kankuro's secrets for months now.

It was Okuni.

The scene in front of her would have been beautiful, had the family not been the monarchs of the Sand Village. Once she saw that she had a new audience, Okuni, probably no older than four in this memory, began to wiggle her fingers, and this caused the puppet in front of her to dance a little bit. She didn't control anything as terrifying nor nightmarish as the constructs of her elders, but instead a small mannequin of a man, with no digits on his fingers nor details on his face. For her age, there was a marked accuracy in the puppet's movements, and, through her messy hair, Ino could see the familiar concentration in her eyes. After a few seconds of demonstration, the chakra strings disappeared, and the puppet fell to the ground, whilst it's master looked up to the rest of his family, focusing on her father, and gave out a grin, strong like her father's.

"Look Mommy, look Daddy! I'm just like you!"

Ino looked towards the parents to see their reaction, and found herself surprised when she didn't see smiles, or looks of pride on either of their faces.

Instead, for a few sure moments, she saw horror.

The two kept themselves quiet, before the girl noticed their non-interaction, and began to wave her hands in front of them, her previous smile fading quickly. Gaara walked forwards, and soon lifted his niece into his arms.

"Do not worry, little one. Your Mom and Dad... they are just..."

He turns to the two of them for guidance, and eventually Kankuro blinked, and smiled warmly at his daughter. He extended his hands forwards, and Gaara awkwardly handed the child off to him.

"...Nothing, Princess. Your Daddy was just...thinking," Kankuro said softly. Shiori found her way out of her emotions, and then picked up her daughter's toy, before moving towards her husband and child. Meanwhile, Okuni had found her excitement and energy again, and giggled.

"How many days until I can be like you two!?"

"..Umm... like us?"

"Mmhm!" Okuni held out her fingers.

"You guys are... Fifty two! I'm... four! So... Aww. I have so many more days!"

"Maybe you should spend that time growing up and practising!" Kankuro's voice was slowly meeting his daughter's excitement.

"Just keep at it. Today you did really, really well!"

The family in front of her continued to chatter, but the contents of their conversation didn't matter to Ino now. All that mattered was what she needed to do now. Her village was in peril, a delusional Hokage, a missing and likely dead General, and a lack of morale all around.

And if blackmailing Kankuro with his own daughter was the way of fixing that, then she'd do it a thousand times over.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru Nara could barely breathe.

Everyone in the interrogation chamber knew this. Before Gaara had turned to leave, he had taken a deep look at the man's new wounds, and assessed them quietly for himself. At the rate that they were going, the man was nearly useless to him now. A shattered mind, a dying body, and near incoherent speech. If he was annoying before, he was worth nothing now.

As the man lay against the cold, stone floor of the room, Gaara had ordered out another round of interrogation. The downed man could only beg for them to stop as his body had been twisted and turned, even more so than it already had been. Eventually, the pleas had morphed into uncomfortable cries. And that was when he had been persuaded to stop it.

Gaara had called for some medics, and the moment he had made the order, the other three interrogators had left the room, leaving Shikamaru and him alone. He was about to leave, about to give Shikamaru the small amount of rest that he could afford, but before he could do that, he heard a shuffling from where Shikamaru laid.

"... I...I... I...tha... that town... wasn't supposed to end up like that..."

Gaara raised one of his brows, and then turned around to fully face his captive. Shikamaru had turned himself so that his eye could train on the Kazekage, and he was clearly putting all of his effort into making the words he said be heard.

"...I didn't... I didn't mean for that many... people... die... I just... needed to save our prisoners... tough spot... no choice-."

Gaara slowly gripped his fists.

"...I swear... on my... life... I didn't know... that there were kids there... I didn't know how many civilians there were... if I did-."

"It was a _**village, **_Nara. You **had **to have known."

Shikamaru fell silent.

"...What are you planning on getting out of me from this? Sympathy? Forgiveness? No... you will get **none **of that. You kidnapped and fucked my sister, you murdered hundreds of innocent civilians, and now, you sit here, being absolutely _useless _to me-."

"...G...G...God I'm... I'm... I'm so fucking sorry, Gaara. It... I didn't... I didn't mean it-."

"Tell that to the weeping mothers, tell that to the siblings missing siblings, tell that to the _**dead. **_Tell that to your _**meat, Butcher. **_Tell _**them **_that you are _**sorry **_for hurting them, to some of them ruining their _**lives. **_You are _sorry, _are you? That is fine... you can be _sorry _all you want. But you have already done the deed. _Sorry _is not going to help fix anything."

His voice trailed off, and when it returned, Gaara was visibly shaking.

"...I visited the village after you had done your work on it. I saw those people, most of them dead, the few still living desperately trying to cling on to what they had left. And all you have to say... is _sorry _towards that-."

"...If I... if... could go back.. would sto-."

"Is that not nice? That, in your heart, you would want to stop it if you knew that in the years following it would leave you at the mercy of your greatest adversary-."

"No please... I didn't... I didn't mean it like-."

Suddenly, Gaara saw Shikamaru freeze up, and after a few seconds the man's hands went to his face. He still shook, and the shaking was beginning to annoy Gaara, seeing the man that he had hated for so long become so damn pitiful. But from his position in the door, he could hear the shinobi that he had sent for approach him.

Gaara spat on the ground, and then turned to leave. Before he could, Shikamaru had to get his last word in.

"...I deserve... everything that's... come to me...but... I just... please... please kill me I can't... I can't hear... I can't fee-."

"You do not get to ask for such things anymore, Butcher. You will take whatever I give you, when _I _choose to give it to you. Now... if you become a good man, tell us what we want when we want it, then I can give you a clean death, worthy of a shinobi. But if you continue your act... then you'll die slowly and painfully, like you truly deserve."

"...I... I can't... I... I... I don't remember... I don't... I don't know"

Shikamaru's voice trailed off, and soon Gaara saw his body slack against the ground, completely immobilized. The Fifth Kazekage could hear sniffles and cries, but nonetheless still turned his head to leave, leaving the man in his sorrow.

"Then I will be seeing you next time, Shikamaru."

Before the battered man could say anything more, Gaara had left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"...Hey. Thanks."

Ino raised a brow as she moved herself to sit in the chair in front of Kankuro.

"...For what?"

"...For the comfy chair. It sure beats sitting my ass on the ground. Now all you need to do is buy me a working girl, and I'll be nice and comfortable, like you'd want it."

At this point, Ino could only roll her eyes in annoyance. She knew the game that Kankuro was playing, and she knew it well. She had no time to play it.

Slowly, she moved to chug down some of the coffee that she had brought to the room with her, in preparation for the upcoming talk. It was mid-day now, about a day since Kankuro's last "interrogation", and she had ordered the rest of the interrogation core to put her in a room with her main captive, lock the doors, and monitor at least some of their conversation with a barley visible wire on her person. In the room where they sat now, completely bare and white except for the table in front of them, Kankuro had been placed on the chair on the other side of the table, still in his prison attire, still looking unkept and rather poor. His eyes were glazed over with a slight bought of annoyance and boredom, and despite his banter, Ino could tell that he didn't want to be there.

Good, then. Her work could be done quickly then.

Once she was comfortable enough, she hit a switch on her neck, and then placed both of her hands on the table in front of her. Kankuro raised his brow this time.

"So I take it someone's listening in on this conversation."

"Of course. You haven't really been alone since we've captured you. I don't see how this is a change."

Kankuro nodded, and then leaned back on his seat. It was relatively cheap, of course, he was a prisoner, yet it still had a back on which he could relax on.

"Heh. Well... isn't this stupid?"

"...What?"

"You know, if I really wanted, I could kill you right now," he answered calmly. He then pointed to the edge of the table that they were sitting at.

"It's sharp enough. And I doubt that any of our audience would be able to intervene before I could start."

"Spare me. The moment you'd make a move, I'd have you comatose on the floor. Mind transfer jutsu, remember? You have no chakra left."

Kankuro frowned playfully, then nodded slowly.

"...Sigh... it's like you to ruin a man's dreams."

"I don't see Sai complaining."

"Well, knowing him, he doesn't talk to make you feel better."

Ino found herself smirking lightly at the jest, before taking a deep breath.

"Enough of this. You know why you're here."

"...Because you saw something particularly attractive in one of my memories? I don't blame you... most girls want to know my techniques-."

"I said _enough, _Kank...uro. Start spilling some information."

"Of course. I start with a strong stroke-."

"Has Eden been completed?"

Kankuro's voice went silent, and his face slowly sobered.

"...What are you talking about-."

"Don't play coy with me." Ino reached into a pocket on her long coat and took out a few papers, handing them to Kankuro to look at. They were imitations of the many schematics that she had seen in his memories before, and, while done with a clearly unskilled hand, it was quite obvious what they were supposed to be. She watched as Kankuro's relaxed eyes slowly began to tense up, and after a few seconds of holding the pictures himself, he placed them back down on the table.

"...These aren't accurate at all."

"Which is why I need you to make them accurate. From your past, I can see that it's a pretty big thing in Sunagakure. Game changing. So. I'm going to need you to update those sketches, make 'em up to par, and then tell me more about it's manufactured state, it's size, everything about it. It's the only up to date information that we know you have that we even want."

Kankuro mockingly placed a hand on his hairy chin.

"Hmm... How about... no?"

"I'm not joking around-."

"Me neither. Just who the hell do you think I am? I'm not some weak willed sop who'd sell out his village, or his _brother, _that easily. You're going to have to try something else."

"Not even for _Shiori's_ sake?"

Kankuro removed the hand from his chin, and then narrowed his eyes at her slowly. He was silent for another while, looking away from her, and she could tell that he was bothered.

"...She'll be fine without me. You think I would marry someone weak? No.. not for a second. Even if I end up dead, she'll be secure for the rest of her life. She was smart; marrying the Kazekage's brother. She's already cashing in on my lifetime pension."

He slowly leaned himself back in his chair again, this time his face glossed over in tension.

"What that all? I'm not telling you a damn thing from my lips. You want to know more about _Eden_? Go probe around in my head."

_Here it goes then..._

"No... I think you will tell us what we want to know."

"Listen bitch-."

"Unless of course, you want something to happen to _**Okuni**_."

That finally did it.

Kankuro's eyes widened instantly once his girl's name left her lips, and he slowly moved himself so that he was sitting up in the chair. His eyes now trained on her, and Ino could feel his intense emotions. And yet, for a few long moments, then minutes, then nearly half an hour, the rest of the man's face was a blank slate. His breath was barely noticeable, and for a while Ino had thought that he had died, or perhaps fallen asleep with his eyes open.

But when he did come back, it was clear that he was still alive. And with a renewed vigor, he spoke again.

"... What the fuck did you see of her?"

_ Alright. It's time for some theatrics._

"I'm just wondering how old she is now. The last memory I saw of her was quite cute. I know the feeling, we all want our kids to follow in our footsteps. It's exciting when they start acting a bit like you, right?"

Kankuro's face molded itself into a terrified, yet wrathful glare. Ino simply continued her mocking of him with a relative ease, and relaxed face.

"I mean... I've got to hand it to you, _Kank. _You're a pretty good Dad. Tucking her in every night, reading her all those stories. You know, they're pretty obvious allegories of your life, right? Any adult could figure that out, but not little Okuni, not yet. Maybe once she gets older she'll call you out on your shit... That's _if _she gets to get older-."

"You shut your fucking mouth-."

"Oh, and I did really love watching you and your wife. Honestly, you two really are a power couple. Although I'm not sure how legal your relationship is... I guess Sunagakure doesn't have that thing against people fucking their superiors-."

"I said shut up!"

"And there you have it. Your little makeshift family. Honestly, all those scenes that played out, all those memories you had. I was sort of rooting for you guys. But, look at it now. You. You're trapped in a dungeon. Them. They're hundreds of kilometres away. You know you might die here, you know-."

"Fuck off will you? Naruto would never order for me to die-."

"Or would he? You know how much stress he's been under lately. Some say that people are beginning to try and undermine his rule. And in that case, if enough of the Konohagakure Council want you dead-."

"Even if that's true, none of you have the fucking **balls **to do what you're suggesting! You're saying that you're going to go all the way, deep into Sunagakure, and kill them!? That's impossible! The guards on the great wall will catch you, and if they don't, then the city guards will! If not, then Gaara would likely catch onto your presence! That'll never happen! You can't just run into a Hidden Village, kill someone, and then run out-."

Ino shrugged.

"Why not? _**Didn't you do the same thing?"**_

__Kankuro slowly gulped.

"...There's no fucking way you'd be able to pull it off-."

"You want to bet your family's life on it?!"

The man brought his great brows together.

"..."

"You can keep this tough guy up, I understand that your image means so much to you. But then-."

"None of you have the fuc-. Ino you're a damn _**parent **_yourself! How the Hell are you going to be able to sit back and let this happen!?"

"Easy. _**It's not my family that's on the line. **_In fact, I'd be destroying your family in order to protect mine-."

"...You're not going to kill some little girl-."

"We never expected you to kill your own sister-."

"_**Fuck Ino that was different! This is different! Temari was a grown woman! She made her decision! She knew what would happen to her if she crossed her village!-."**_

__"_**Doesn't mean that she deserved to die like that."**_

__Kankuro's voice fell silent, and when Ino turned back to him he was looking at the table below him, his hands holding his face. She could tell that he was still very bothered by their conversation. It was good. She was good.

Whatever reservations that she had had from before were gone now. If ruining his life was the way to make a change and save her village, then she'd do it in a heartbeat. She'd do it over and over again, she'd do it all damn night.

She took a deep breath.

"You've been a waste of space in our dungeon for months now, Kankuro. And I for one am getting tired of running around your fucking mind. Now tell us what we want... or else there _**will **_be consequences. Ones that you give a damn about."

Kankuro slowly raised his head, and then leaned himself back in his chair again. He narrowed his eyes at the woman in front of him, and spat onto the desk in front of him. His eyes were nearly burning with anger.

"...You're not going to make me betray my brother-."

"Well then I hope you're ready to lose it all for him. Because after you killed your sister and after we kill the rest of your loved ones, he's going to be all you've got. And do you _really want _to go back to only having a brother? After you've gained so much?"

"..."

"You've got three seconds before I send word to the rest of our audience that you've made up your mind."

"... Fuck off. Go ahead. Go ahead and do it."

"Three."

"You can't make me do it. Shinobi die for their villages! They don't sell out their Kage!"

"Two."

"You'll never get to them! My wife... she'll be able to look after Okuni from you fucks-."

"One. Well guys-."

"_**Fuck STOP!"**_

__Ino looked at Kankuro again, to see that the man's fists were on the table, gripped until his hands turned white. His eyes were shut closed, and she could faintly see him shiver. His teeth gnashed against each other, and the wrinkles and scars on his face seemed to be highlighted with his struggle. Finally, after a long while, he spoke again.

"...Eden's a... giant puppet. It's supposed to be more than a hundred metres tall, at least seventy metres long, and twelve metres thick. It's primary purpose is as a defence mechanism in case of you attacking us, but before I left I made sure to give it more offensive measures. It's meant to be controlled, well... more like piloted, by me, and before I left we hadn't even begun production of it, so it's useless information to you-."

"I'll decide what's useless or not. Continue."

Kankuro took a deep breath, and Ino could hear him curse underneath his breath. But nonetheless, he continued. She had finally found something to make him talk.

The man continued to speak on the intricate details of his twisted masterpiece for many more moments, and Ino sat attentively, every once in a while making sure that her microphone was suitably picking up his details. When Ino told him to go into detail about the defences of Sunagakure, the man complained, but then allowed her a small tip; the moments in the day when the wall would be relatively undefended. Eventually, once he grew silent again, clearly shaken by what he had done, she stood up and pushed in her chair.

"That'll be all." She paused, then sneered.

"Thank you for your co-operation."

She looked back towards the captive in front of her, and saw Kankuro as a truly different man from the time they had first taken him captive. The beard he spouted made him look at least ten years older than he was, and the wrinkles and scars that had previously been an afterthought seemed to reflect more clearly. He was slouching, and the fists he had made on the table in front of him were barely strong now, simply there to keep up appearances. The most jarring and different part about him was the glazed look in his eyes, as he was no doubt taking in what he had just done. He had sold out his village, likely, hundreds of people would die due to the information that he had left out.

Ino softened her eyes. Years ago, she was sure that the man would have never told her anything. But now, the things that had brought him the most joy were now the very thing that had helped her in their investigation.

She shrugged, but before she could turn herself around towards the door, she heard his voice again.

"Ino."

His eyes hadn't turned to meet hers, but they didn't need to to be able to know that she had turned her head, showing that she had heard him.

"... You better make sure that they're both okay..."

"... I'm not the Hokage. I can't promise anything-."

"_**Because if any of you sick fucks touch my wife, or my little **__**girl, **__** I WILL make you pay dearly for it, Yamanaka."**_

__Ino blinked. The man slowly turned his eyes to her, and she spent moments looking into the inferno once again, immediately feeling uncomfortable. Eventually, she was able to shake her head, freeing herself from the hateful gaze, and then walk out of of the room.

And once she was out, she let herself shiver, but then also found herself with a sick grin on her face. Finally, things were beginning to go her way. All she had to do was start playing dirty.

All she had to do was start being like _**them. **_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikadai Nara was ready for bed.

Before he had retired, he had made sure to say a small prayer at his mother's shrine. He felt ashamed to also have to pray for his father, but he did so anyways, trying his best to begin to follow the advice given to him by Mirai. Afterwards, he had made sure to turn off all the lights, lock the doors, crack the windows, and then had went into his room, locking his room door behind him.

He plopped himself into bed once he had his favourite pyjamas on, and tucked himself in under the sheets. Beside him, he pulled his favourite stuffed animal into his arms, and hugged it tight. He turned his head, and then tried to close his eyes to sleep.

Only to hear a disturbance near his window.

He instantly shot up in his bed, and turned his head to the window. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, but the small amount of ninja training that he had received lead him to believe that there was at least something out of the ordinary wrong. He was in Nara lands, though, and therefore would let himself shout to find out who was there.

"...Hello?"

"...Heh. Looks like you'll become a great shinobi yet. Maybe you'll end up a little better than your father did, too."

Shikadai instantly blinked, and looked around him for the source of the sound. He then heard a snap of a twig outside, and shifted his head towards the sound.

He realized that it was a mistake once he felt a pair of arms wrap around his body.

He tried to scream out for help, but a pair of hands went to his mouth, and then to cover his eyes. In the darkness, he could only hear the same voice return.

"...Come on, Shikadai, and please don't be difficult. It's not everyday that you get called upon by the _Kazekage_."

Shikadai was scared for the moment before he was knocked unconscious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_ Once again, sorry for the slight delay. Writing this story is honestly getting really hard and tiring, but I'm trying my best to make it through each week. You should expect the next update on around **March 5-7****th**. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and please remember to Review if you can!_


	45. Wane

_AN: I'm very sorry. This chapter is coming out late mainly due to me getting very, very sick earlier in the week, which made it very hard for me to write as I was literally bed-ridden. It was very hard for me to get certain ideas out, and I'm trying a different and more efficient writing style as well, so I'm aware that my writing style's a bit different than it once was. Once again though, thank you very much for reading so faithfully for over a year, and I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. I'm still recovering from being sick, but I want to be able to get 2 more chapters out this month._

_Another thing is that I should mention that I'm going to be (trying to at least) post emergency updates and any foreseeable chapter delays on my profile. If a chapter's coming late, please check that area for more information. Thank you. Let's begin! This chapter's a bit longer than the last one._

_Once again, **I do not own Naruto.**_

_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Mirai had been searching for Shikadai for an entire day now.

She was back in the boy's house for the third time this day, and by now the sun was setting in the sky. Unlike the last two times, there were people in it. A simple look at what they were wearing, and the fact that they all had black hair, revealed the few to be other members of the Nara clan, four in all. One of them was in the kitchen, and she could detect that the other three were inspecting the other rooms in the house. Once she entered, rather hastily, the man in the kitchen turned his head, and stared at her blankly for a few moments. It too him a while to remember who she was.

"...Mirai. You're looking for him too, hm?"

Mirai walked closer to him, and then nodded. Saburo Nara, Shikamaru's former left hand man. Once she was on the same side of the counter as him, she could see that he was taking fingerprint dust from the counter, and that he had a small ninja hound with him, with it's nose to the ground trying to sniff things up. Once she was close enough, she in another deep breath.

"...I last saw him last night. I dropped him home then-."

"We weren't suspecting you at all. I doubt you had anything to do with this. Hell, you don't have anything to do with _any _of the bullshit that we've been going through."

He finished dusting the fingerprints off, and then took out a camera from his belt to take some pictures. The counter looked pristine, but then again, counter tops rarely showed visible fingerprints. Mirai watched him for a while, and took in the man's rather altered physicality. Compared to most of the other members of the Nara clan, he was quite buff, and it looked as if any random flex of his muscles would rip his ninja vest off. He had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail, but his face sported a large, thick moustache, and his chin was overwrought with a misshapen stubble. His eyes were an unusual yellow colour as well, and he was a great deal taller than Mirai, perhaps even Shikamaru himself. She couldn't tell anymore. It had been so long since he'd...

She shuddered.

"So you haven't see him all day either?"

"No. I wished him a good night yesterday, and ever since then he's been gone. And we haven't been able to figure out why..." His voice trailed off for a moment, before he let out a sigh.

"Maybe the pressures of leadership got the best of him, and so he ran off. Poor kid. His parents die, then he's burdened with a position that he knows nothing about. I thought I was at least helping him a bit but... it looks like I wasn't-."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. Shikadai would've eventually had to get used to his role."

"Doesn't make what we did to him right."

"No... it doesn't. I guess."

Saburo finished taking his pictures, and then walked towards the fridge.

"I hope he's at least safe, wherever he is now. For all we know, he's probably just went over to the Yamanaka's or Akimichi's for a break-."

"I don't think so. I checked both those clans and they said they didn't see him."

Saburo raised a brow, and then began to dust off the handlebars of the fridge.

"Well it's got to be something like that. I doubt that it could have been anything too serious. I mean, there's a limit to how much bullshit someone can go through in a year, right-."

"Lord Saburo! You should see this!"

The man rolled his eyes, and then moved out of the kitchen, and rushed down the hall. Mirai followed him, and so did his ninja hound. Soon, the three of them had joined the other three clan members, and they were all standing in Shikadai's room. One of the three they met up with was holding up a small note.

"Here."

Saburo took the note into his hands, and Mirai tried to look at it from over his shoulder. She didn't need to, for moments after he began to read it aloud.

"... _Gaara has requested an audience with your young heir. It's our duty as Sand shinobi to make sure that this occurs. Don't worry. We're sure you'll get him back eventually, and we wont harm a hair on his head.._.. I thought that there was a limit to how much bullshit one can go through in one _**year**_!"

Mirai felt her stomach drop, and Saburo hastily pushed the note into his dog's face, trying to make him catch a scent. Meanwhile, Mirai began to panic more than she already was. Shikamaru had entrusted his son's life to her, and this was how badly she did at protecting him?

Her thoughts were momentarily interrupted by the sound of the dog beginning to bark loudly, and then she turned her head to see that he had begun to sniff around the room. The shinobi all watched for a few moments, before the beast found it's bearings, and then raised it's head towards one of the windows in the room. It waited for a few moments, before it ran ahead and exited their sight through the window.

Saburo immediately moved forwards, but before he could take another step, Mirai was already halfway out after it.

"Hey! Wai-."

"Shikamaru put _me _in charge of looking out for him. If anything, _I _should be the one to go get him. And I'm not that weak, I should be able to take down his captors if need be-."

"And what happens if you can't? We have no idea how many there were-."

"Then I'll circle back and get some reinforcements. For now... I don't know... look after things? I'll call if I need any help."

Saburo narrowed his eyes for a few moments, before he rolled his eyes.

"...Fine. Good luck Mirai."

It didn't take her too long to catch up to the hound.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Toast Uncle! Toast!"

Gaara awkwardly raised his glass high to meet his niece's.

"Toast. Umm... what would you like to toast to?"

"Oh... umm..."

Okuni brought her other hand to her chin.

"...I haven't thought of that... Do you know what we should toast to...?"

Gaara found himself smirking at her confusion, and then placed a hand to his own chin to mimic her.

"Hmm... how about we toast to your mother? She's been through a lot these past months, I think that she'd appreciate it, hm?"

"Okay! This toast is for my Mommy!"

Gaara felt a warmness in his heart, and then lightly tapped his glass with her smaller one. Afterwards, he brought the liquid to his lips (it was a fine mixture of orange and apple juice) and took a sliver of it down. She was clearly watching him, and took the same amount of water out of her own cup. When he moved to place his back into his seat again, she copied him as well. He moved one of his hands forwards to reach for a piece of bread, and she copied him again.

He raised an eyebrow. She did the same. He frowned.

"What are you doing?"

She smiled at him.

"I'm practising!"

"For what?"

"Oh... well... I decided! I was talking to my Mom yesterday, and we both decided! I've figured out what I want to do when I get older!"

"And what would that be?"

"Oh... simple! I'm going to be the 6th Kazekage!"

_"__To become Hokage is my dream!"_

Suddenly, the glass in Gaara's hand shattered.

Okuni had ducked, and it took moments for Gaara's mind to return to reality. Once he did, he slowly looked down on the table in front of him, to see that the small dinner that the two had been having was now overwrought with pieces of broken glass. The juice that had been in his cup had fallen and soaked the meat that he had been eating, and there were shards in Okuni's plate, it consisting of mashed potatoes and an assortment of unhealthy sweets. Gaara's eyes narrowed, and he looked towards his niece to make sure that she was fine. He reached out to touch her with his dry hand, and patted her around her cheeks, making sure that nothing was stuck in her. She squirmed in his touch.

"Uncle Gaara, I'm fine! It's okay!"

Her words seemed to be the end to his spell. He took a breath.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah!"

He looked upon the mess in front of him.

"...I am sorry Okuni. I ruined your food..."

"It's OK! Mommy has a lot of sweets at home."

Gaara shook his head.

"I.. I promised that I would look after you today, and look at the mess I have made..."

Before Okuni could say anything else, a group of sand shinobi were standing around their table. It had been a busy restaurant (five star food and a welcome atmosphere, the Kazekage would afford no less to his niece), but the moment that the Kazekage had broken his glass it seemed like time itself had stopped for him. One of the five shinobi around him turned to his Kage, and bowed.

"My Lord, is anything amiss?"

Gaara shook his head, slightly disoriented by the entire ordeal.

"No I just... it... I... Can we get some new food? Please?"

"Of course Lord Kazekage."

The shinobi quickly cleaned the table in front of them, and took away the food that had been affected by the mess. Once they were gone, the rest of the restaurant returned to the state that it had been in, and Okuni continued to probe Gaara.

"So... can I do it? If I'm the best, can do I?"

"You mean 'Can I do it', yes?"

"Yeah!"

Gaara smiled, and then nodded.

"Of... of course you can. Matter of fact, I feel that, if you train hard enough, you could become one of the best shinobi this village had ever seen."

"Really?"

"Really. Now...I would like to remind you that it is getting very late, and that you and I have had a long, storied day. After we finish eating, we should think of taking you home."

"Aww... can't I... can't I sleep over?"

"I do not have any beds prepared for you..."

"Please...?"

"Well..."

"I could talk to Mommy. And mommy could sleep over too! She could sleep with you!"

Gaara flinched, and then adamantly shook his head.

"No... Okuni I do not want to sleep with your mother..."

"Oh? Oh. Ok. She could sleep at home then, and come pick me up in the morning!"

"I would have to ask her. But if she accepts... then I suppose you can."

Okuni began to jump up and down in her seat. Gaara smiled kindly upon his niece. It was rare for him to get moments like this, and even with with Matsuri and Shiori, their ages lent themselves to cynicism. Okuni, on the other hand, was young enough to have a wild imagination. And with her, it was easy for him to relax.

He let out a sigh. Moments such as these would eventually fade. He still had a general in his dungeons. He still had a war to finish fighting. He still had a man to face...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Shikadai finally came to, his mind wouldn't stop ringing.

When his vision finally focused, minutes after he had regained consciousness, he found himself in the middle of a dark forest, one of the only sources of life coming from behind him. He slowly turned his head to look at what was behind him, only for him to feel the wood behind him. When he tried to move his hands, he found them tightly bound by ropes, and then felt himself lean forwards. He shivered.

Whoever had taken him from his home had him a good distance from his village now, he was sure of it. And if they had done their work properly, he was sure that nobody would even catch on to him being missing for a good while. Meaning that, at least for now, he was at the complete mercy of his captors. The thought made the boy worry again.

He had an idea why he had been taken from his home. He was the only child of Konohagakure's general, and with his father's absence, it was likely that he would be used against his village as a form of ransom. Or... worse. Perhaps they meant to take the boy in, raise him and force him to defect to their side.

Either way, he had no intention of letting that happen.

Quietly, the boy turned his head to look around him, and made sure that none of his captors were anywhere near him. Once he was sure that he could find no one, h began to fidget with his bindings, tugging and pulling with what small room that his arms had, and, when that failed, rubbing his wrists together. He began to feel the fabric of the rope come apart, and let a small grin come across his face. His mother had shown him a similar trick when he was younger, although she hadn't really brought up why he would have had a use for it. He thanked her in his mind for having the foresight back then.

It was only a few moments afterwards that his ropes finally came free, and he quickly got up. He wasn't sure which direction would lead him to safety, but he was sure that he would eventually figure it out, as long as he didn't run into his captors. With this in mind, he rubbed his wrists one more time, before he began to move forwards into the direction of the moon...

For a few steps. Before he felt something sudden latch onto his legs.

Instantly, the boy began to panic. He tried to move his feet again, before he felt himself being pulled backwards, and he fell onto his face. Then, a voice came from behind him.

"...This isn't good... What happened to your ropes?"

Shikadai trashed out in front of him, but before he could do anything of note he began to hear footsteps come from in front of him. He looked up to see two women, both looking around the same age as his dead mother, and one of them being much shorter than the other one. The taller woman regarded him with neutral eyes before making her way towards his side, and placing a hand on his back, keeping his hands together. From behind, he could hear rustling and tussling, before his hands were once again bound. This time however, his feet were bound too. Once it was finished, he felt someone tug out the band in his hair, and take his clip out, before stepping over his head and showing his face to him.

The man who stood over him was calm, in stark contrast to himself, who was panicking to an uncomfortable degree. Upon seeing the boy's discomfort, he knelt down so that they were on a similar eye level.

"I guess we haven't been giving you enough credit. You _are Shikamaru's_ son. Now, how about this. If you co-operate with us, then the next three days can be a relaxing and calm experience, and you wont get hurt at all. If you do-."

"Let me go!" Shikadai shouted. He tried his best to thrash around given his position, before the man in front of him simply pushed down harder on his shoulder.

"I need to get back home! I.. I have duties there-."

"You look no older than eight. What duties can an eight year old boy have?"

"He can have plenty! And I have people counting on me to do those duties!"

The man let out a chuckle. Not a mocking one however, no. This chuckle was more reminiscent of an old family member.

"Is that so? Well, I don't feel that you'll be letting them down too much by coming along with us for a while. Don't worry, once the Kazekage is through with you, I'm sure you'll be brought right home-."

"No!"

"Now... boy... err... Shikadai was it? The louder you are, the more unwelcome attention you draw. If we want to get out of here, we need to prevent doing that."

"Let me go-!"

The boy continued to thrash around on the ground in front of his captors, trying desperately to not go down easily. But... it was clear that he was still young and weak. Shikadai felt the grip that the man had on his neck increase, and quickly he saw his vision fading...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time the boy awoke, he could hear the sounds of battle.

This time when he woke up, he was lying on his back, and it was easier for him to get a view of his surroundings. Because of this increased view, he was able to see that his surroundings had changed. What had previously been a dark and blinding forest was now a clearing, and the moon was clearly visible in the night's sky. He could feel his skin mesh with the mud below him, and the air was damp, as if it were to rain soon. He heard a shout, and then slowly turned his head in that direction...

To see that Mirai was there, along with a ninja hound.

The three other Shinobi that had tried to kidnap him had surrounded the two of them, and after a few moments the man who had spoken to Shikadai previously rushed her, lifting his hands up to fight her in hand to hand combat. Quickly, she moved backwards to dodge him, and once she was behind him, Shikadai watched as she pressed a hand into the man's back, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Next, one of the two women shinobi threw a kunai at her, only for her to place her hands together and blow at it harshly, causing it to turn around and attack it's previous handler. The third woman had her ninja hound sent after her, and Mirai took the opportunity to move away from the three of them, heading in Shikadai's general direction. After a few steps, she noticed him lying on the ground.

"Shit. Bambi, you alright?"

Shikadai let out a happy yelp, before hearing his unsavoury nickname for what had to be the millionth time, his eyes narrowing. Mirai smirked, and then rushed over to him quickly, getting behind him and taking apart his bindings with a few swipes from her own kunai. Then, as quickly as he had been freed, she pulled him to the side as the smallest woman threw a few shuriken their way. The boy was pulled further back once again, into a series of bushes, and then his head was roughly pushed down. He let out a whine, before Mirai shushed him.

"Stay here and stay quiet. I'll come get you once things are safe again."

Before the boy could protest again, she was out of earshot, and rushing back towards the three shinobi that she had previously left. Shikadai moved himself onto his hands, but still retained his relatively hidden location, and watched the scene in front of him. Mirai initially had charged towards the three captors, but then Shikadai saw her almost disappear into thin air, much to the chagrin of the rest of them. One of the two other kunoichi ran forwards in direction of where Mirai had been, and the moment that she reached it she found herself being thrown off by a particularly strong gust of wind, and Mirai appeared again in the trees above them. The woman who had been thrown to the ground recovered quickly, and then the three shinobi rushed towards the one hiding in the trees above.

The battle in front of him was nothing if it was not captivating. Shikadai watched as Mirai's body seemed to bend and flow in the air around her, as it twisted and turned to avoid projectiles, jutsu and other potential harms. The hound that she had brought with her made up for her occasional slack, each bark pushed it's attackers back, and the hound was able to keep a decent distance between it's temporary master and it's assailants. But, to their credit, the three in front of them were ferocious attackers, and caused Mirai to have to reconsidering more than a few of her attacks.

Shikadai gripped his fists. It was slowly beginning to remind him of all of the times that he hadn't been able to help, but nevertheless he kept himself strong and quiet, waiting for his guardian to finish.

He was waiting for a very long time.

The tide of the battle slowly began to turn as Mirai found herself unable to catch up with the pace of the fight. Shikadai watched in horror as she was backed up against the base of a tree, now with three of them on the ground, and as her ninja hound struggled to move from the bushes that he had fallen into. Shikadai saw Mirai get stabbed to her gut, and when she moved to try and disappear again, the other woman had restrained her by her arms. Mirai let out a yell, and Shikadai instantly jumped to his feet, tired of simply being a bystander. There had to be a way for him to help somehow-.

"Don't move."

Frantically, Shikadai twirled his head behind him, in the direction of the sudden, yet familiar voice. Before his head could make the full revolution, he felt a kunai go to his neck. He froze instantly, and then he heard a sigh.

"I didn't want to have to be a dick... but you're forcing me to. Put your hands behind you, or I'm going to be forced to do something I don't want to."

Shikadai looked up to see Mirai continuing to struggle with her attackers, and once she was stabbed again, he couldn't help but cry out. Her head snapped towards his, and in response the man behind him brought the kunai close enough to his neck to cause him to bleed.

"Shikadai!"

"Now boy. Do what I told you to, or neither of you are going to be leaving this forest alive-."

_**"**__**B-bullshit!"**_

Shikadai grit his teeth like a vice, even as he began to feel the kunai dig further into his skin.

"You _**need **_me alive! Why else did you and your group try to kidnap me if that wasn't true!? Stop... stop messing around with me! Let me go and let her go too!"

He heard a harsh chuckle against his ear.

"Is that how you really think this works? No. It doesn't work like that. Your friend here is a _liability, _and we don't have to do anything _for _her. But... you're right..."

"What are you doing?!" The shout didn't come from Mirai, but instead one of the mans' comrades. Shikadai could hear him grit his teeth.

"... Lord Gaara said that he wanted you _alive. _He _never mentioned_ that you needed to be _unharmed..._"

"Cut it out! We don't want to risk that-."

"Finish her off!"

Shikadai could feel time itself begin to slow.

The other two women in front of him turned themselves around to attack Mirai, and Shikadai felt the kunai on his neck suddenly become very, very uncomfortable. Suddenly, he could feel the tension on his heart increase, and his mind began to run a million miles a minute. This couldn't have been happening, not to him, not now. Until very recently, he had been completely sheltered from the realities of the war that his parents fought. Now, within the last year, he had lost his mother, his father had gone missing, and one of his best friends was about to die right in front of him. And he knew nary a jutsu to help her.

His breath was hitched. His eyes shut. Time seemed to go even slower for him. He was completely livid now, unable to control his emotions. Just when he had promised her he'd be better. Still acting like a child. Still useless, hopeless to change the world that ran around him.

He could almost... _scream_.

And once he did, he felt himself being thrown up into the sky.

The next few minutes flowed faster than the last few, and once he felt himself being carried Shikadai opened his eyes. The kunai was no longer around his neck, but at the same time, he could barely feel his feet. Around him he could feel a torrent of wind kick up, and shortly afterwards he could feel the ground again. Eventually, the air that rushed past his ears were the only thing that he could hear, and when he opened his eyes, he had seen what had happened.

The man who had previously had his kunai around his neck had fallen against a tree, the tree itself being little more than a stump. It wasn't the only tree in that state either; there was now a small crater of stumps where the forest had been. He could see Mirai sitting near one, and the two women that she had been fighting were lying against the ground in an assorted fashion. The moon above them revealed to Shikadai more of the decay that he was surrounded by, and his eyes looked at his hands and chest to see that the clothing he had been wearing was ripped around his chest, the night air's chill making him a little cold. He could see that he was now standing in a shallow crater, and his hands were outstretched in front of him, the veins within that hand slowly fading from their blue colour back to normal.

His eyes widened, then he blinked and turned to look at the devastation around him. He kept looking back and forth from his hands to his current area, before he took a deep breath, and looked back towards Mirai, who was now standing up. She held her hands in front of her, and then quietly approached him, her eyes softer than before.

"...It's alright Shikadai... put your hands down."

Shikadai shivered. His body still felt light.

"...Mirai... what the Hell's going on-."

She gave him a light smile. He could tell that she felt awkward.

"Well... that's the thing... I don't know what you just did-."

"What _**I **_just did? _**I **_Did this-."

"Calm down..."

Shikadai took one step back.

"Mirai... Mirai tell me what's going on... Tell me what I just did..."

"...It looks like you did something _amazing_..."

"Amazing? You call this amazing?"

Mirai shrugged. By now, she was close enough to him to pull him into her arms, and so she id. Meanwhile, Shikadai's body stayed stiff for a few moments longer, before he fell into the hug, and raised his own arms, barely being able to place his head on her shoulder. She knelt.

"...Looks like you're more like your Mom than we thought... huh..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a long walk back to Konohagakure.

On the way, neither Mirai nor Shikadai said a word. Saburo's Ninja hound seemed to keep looking at Shikadai to make sure that his ward was safe, but other than that nothing unusual happened. Shikadai on the other hand kept looking at his hands, noting that while his veins had returned to their original colour, they were still sickly visible, and that fact made him uneasy. Eventually, he fell too uneasy to walk, and Mirai seamlessly placed him onto her back and carried him to the village gates.

Once they were there, the traumatized boy asked to be let down. Once his feet were on the ground again, he looked up to her with blank eyes, his voice an unusual monotone.

"...Mirai... did I kill them?"

The older woman looked down at him, and her neutral gaze slowly turned into a frown. Her face suitably grim. She nodded slowly.

"...You did."

Shikadai looked down to the ground in front of her. She took a deep breath, and then placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. If you didn't kill them, they would've killed you. Or... me." There was a pause.

"... I owe you my life, Shikadai."

Shikadai didn't notice her words, and instead continued to look at the hands that he held in front of him.

"...How... how did I kill them?"

"Wind Jutsu."

"...How... Mirai... how do I... how can I-."

"You must have had affinity for it. And... it showed up then out of shock."

"...My father can't use Wind Jutsu. Does that mean my Mom...?" There was another pause.

"...Mirai... who... or _what._... was my Mom?"

Mirai could feel wind come to the back of her hair, and she knelt so that she was on Shikadai's level.

"I can't tell you that."

It was true. To tell Shikadai who his mother truly as would be to open the floodgates to a multitude of other questions. And she didn't need to be within his head to know that the eight year old, who struggled with living without his parents now, would be utterly crushed by the knowledge of his true lineage. It wasn't her place to tell the child about the circumstances behind the war, and she had been privy to his parents wishes. Temari had always spoke of revealing the truth to the boy once the war was over, and he was old enough to understand. Now that she was gone, Mirai had expected for Shikamaru to take up the reigns.

But now that he was...

She could see the distrust in Shikadai's eyes, and he looked away from her. She took a breath.

"Listen, Bambi-."

"I don't want to hear it!" He spat. Mirai blinked, and then watched as the boy in front of her began to take on previously bottled up emotions. He gripped his fists, and then threw them into the air, trying to calm himself down. He paced back and forth for a few moments, before remembering where he was, and what he had just went through. Then, he came back to Mirai, and took a deep breath.

"... I'm sorry. You said that I have to... I have to grow up... I have to be stron-."

"It has nothing to do with that. Your parents are the ones who are best to tell you about yourself, your family, who you really are. I'm not a Nara. I'm not related to Temari. I can't tell you all the things that they would have wanted to... but... I can help you. I can train you. I can teach you on how to use your gifts better, if that would make you feel better about who you are. And... then next time... this might not have to happen. Next time, you might not go into danger..."

She paused.

"I doubt this will be the last time that the Kazekage will try and come for you. The reason why he keeps trying to... well that's something I can't tell you. At least... not yet. You're too young to understand... it should be your father who tells you. So... but we can do a compromise. If by your next birthday, your father... doesn't come back... I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you about who your mother truly was. I'll tell you about the real importance that your parents have to this war. I'll tell you about why you were kidnapped. But for now... don't ask me, and don't ask anyone."

She paused, and then reached a hand forwards to tap onto Shikadai's heart.

"For now, train with me, and I'll make you stronger."

Shikadai was still shaken, and Mirai could tell clearly. The night that had passed showed her how little the boy truly still was, and she could only reminisce. The biggest struggle that she had had as a child was trying to replace a father that she had never known. This boy would have to lead a clan, and would be eventually called to war himself.

He was the biggest asset that the Leaf had, and he didn't even know it. The Kazekage's nephew. Gaara would never let him come under harm.

Finally, Shikadai gulped, and then nodded. He could feel the veins on his fingers finally subside.

"..Okay. I _trust _you, Mirai. Let's train."

The Sarutobi slowly rose to her feet, and once she did a loud growl came from her stomach. She looked down and could almost see it rumble. Shikadai let out an awkward chuckle, and then pointed towards the inside of the village.

"...You know, Chocho invited me over to her place for dinner yesterday. I turned it down, but... I'm sure that the Akimichis wouldn't mind if we crashed their house for some grub in the morning..."

Mirai smirked, and then looked up to the sky above them. It was still very dark, but she could see the sun rise on the horizon. She looked back to her ward, and then gave him a more mischievous smile.

"...You think that Karui's up this early?"

"I'm sure Uncle Choji would understand our need for food..."

And with that, the student and the Sensei rushed into the village in direction of the Akimichi manor, still looking an absolute mess from the battle that had previously transpired.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He's been in there all night long, sir. Actually... I don't remember the last time he left..."

Kakashi Hatake placed a hand on his chin.

"I understand. Let me talk to him."

The Jonin in front of him looked uncomfortable for a few moments, before Kakashi raised a brow at him.

"If you don't let me in now, then you might not have a Hokage very soon. Let me in."

Wordlessly, the man stepped aside, and opened the door to the Hokage office when he was out of the way. Kakashi walked in, and the door closed behind him.

He looked ahead of him to see a mess.

All around the Hokage's office, things were overturned and broken. In front of the desk were papers that were scattered across the ground in front of him, disarrayed and out of place. On the actual desk, there were a few bottles of sake, and from where he stood, Kakashi couldn't tell if they were full or empty. The early morning sun revealed stained blinds and... fluids on the floor. Probably vomit. It would make sense.

But the object of Kakashi's interest wasn't the devastation around him. No, instead it was Naruto Uzumaki, who was sitting in front of his desk, on the floor, a puddle of vomit to one side of him, a bowl of sake to his other. His eyes were red from fatigue, and after a few moments, they raised to look his old Sensei in the eyes. More moments passed, and the man slowly dragged his right arm to reach for his bowl, and he slowly raised it towards his sensei. Once it was high enough, he smiled at him.

"...Kakashi-Sensei... you missed the party..."

Kakashi messed up his face in disgust.

"... I didn't miss anything I needed to see."

"What... what do you mean? Come on... we had a... we had a great time..."

He gestured to the sake bottles on the table behind him.

"There's still some left. You want some?"

"...Hinata's been looking for you for the last three days... and this is where you've been?"

Upon the mention of her name, Kakashi could see something change in Naruto's drunk and unfocused eyes. It didn't last long. Soon, the man slowly began to scramble to his feet.

"...Hinata... I can't go home yet. Tell her I can't go home yet..."

"If anything you need to go home _now_."

"Not yet. I need to... I found him... We found him."

Kakashi rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew too well where this was going. He walked closer to Naruto's desk, and by the time he was in front of it the man had situated himself on the other side of it, sitting himself down on his chair, and beginning to fidget with the papers on top of it. Randomly, he would move to hold one of them up so that Kakashi could see their contents.

They were mission results. All from failed missions.

"...Haa... we found him. He's somehow... Shikamaru's somehow in the like... Land of Iron. I don't know how he got there but... I sent some scouts there just in case-."

"Naruto, Shikamaru is _**dead.**_"

Naruto slowly wagged his finger at Kakashi, erratically and awkwardly. The man in front of him could only keep his scowl.

"...No... he's _missing. _That's... that's what the records say-."

"Would you look at yourself?!" Kakashi gestured to Naruto's body, and he looked up and down himself to try and see what he was talking about. He patted his robes down, them being wet and messy from his nightly activities, before Kakashi continued.

"Listen... the council's been talking about _replacing_ you. We're in the middle of a war, and the last thing that they think we need is a delusional and ineffective Hokage. Last night, we held a vote on your forced resignation. It was nearly a deadlock, the odds slightly in your favour. But how long do you think they're going to be like that-."

"If I... what do you mean... what are you talking about? Kakashi-Sensei... I'm the Child of Prophecy... and you're telling me that they're... I sent scouts to the Land of Iron-."

"I'm going to veto your message and pull those scouts back-."

"What about Shikamaru... what if he free-."

"**Shikamaru Nara is dead.**"

"And I'm telling you... he's... he's not... he's..."

Suddenly, Naruto lost his balance on his chair, and ended up falling under his desk. Kakashi rounded the platform to see his former student lying on the ground, having brought his cup of sake and some of the papers down with him. The liquid had spilt onto his robes. When his hat had fallen off, Kakashi noticed that Naruto's hair was even messier than it was.

"...He's not... he's... he's not..."

Kakashi took a deep breath in, and then knelt down to sit on the same level as his former student. Behind his mask, Naruto could see the disappointment in his eyes. But... like his own eyes, there still existed a smidgen of hope...

Or was that more sadness?

"... Who... what am I kidding? I'm.. I'm upset because you're not giving up on him. We're all angry at you for not giving up on him. You insist he's alive... we've never found his body. He never found the body of his father, but to you _we never found his body. _In your eyes, there's no proof. And you fight on because... _those that would disregard their comrades so easily are even worse than trash. _Isn't that right...?"

Naruto blinked thrice, and then Kakashi reached out a hand to his drunk student, and messed up what hair that he had on his head.

"Naruto Uzumaki... the one thing I never taught you was... that sometimes your comrades can't be regarded..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Thank you all for reading once again. I really wanted to get something out to you all since I am nearly a week late. I will try my best to get another chapter out on the 21st, and then the 28th of this month. Also, I want to try and get into another big set piece which I know you all will love. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. Please read and review, and thank you all for the reviews that you've given me so far. I am trying to take some of your suggestions into account. Once again, sorry for the delay, and I hope it was worth it._


	46. Snap

_AN: Hello everyone, and welcome to chapter 46!_

_Once again sorry for the minor delay, but I found myself really busy over the past while, so it was hard to update. I regret to inform you that my busi-ness is only going to get worse in the coming weeks since I have new duties to attend to on the weekends and weekdays, but I'm still working my hardest to get a chapter out each week if possible for now. Also, as for ideas for this story, this might be a little spoilery, but I was actually thinking of writing a "fluff" chapter soon, from the perspective of Temari, either about the last day that she spent in Sunagakure, or a random day for her in Konohagakure. Or maybe even both. I have no idea when I'll write them, but I feel that I owe you guys some positives after breaking your hearts 30 chapters ago :). Let me know what you think in the review section, notes, etc. I love getting your feedback!_

_Anyways, as for this story, I was sort of thinking of making the next chapter a double chapter, and if that happens it might take a longer while for it to get out. We'll see though, I'm not sure if the ideas I have for the next chapter warrants that. Although there will be a small time skip coming up. Just a warning lol._

_Alright, let's get on with the story! Once again, thank you very much for reading._

_**Once again, I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"...__Hold me."_

_ Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the wife in his arms. Temari laid there, having recently woken up, and was now trying to cuddle herself closer to his chest. __His instincts took over, and he knew well that if she was showing this side to him this suddenly there must have been something wrong. So, through his tiredness, he moved her closer into his arms, and then wrapped his arms around her._

_ "...What's wrong?"_

_ Temari looked up at him, and for a few moments their eyes met. The silence in their bedroom was deafening. Then, eventually, Temari found her tongue again, and gripped her husband harder._

_ "Just hold me."_

_ Shikamaru blinked, but knew better than to argue with her. Eventually, the truth would come to him, __and he knew that she knew this just as well as he did. __For now, all he could truly do was try and comfort her from whatever was harming her, and so he did. One of his hands caressed her back, and __the other hand made it's way through her hair. Meanwhile, she made her home in his care, and by the time her voice returned to their bedroom, it was a stranger._

_ "... You're... you're killing my people, Shikamaru."_

_ Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, and he felt her grip on him increase to the point where it was actively hurting him. But, confronted with the truth, he didn't know what to do..._

_ "...Every day I walk these streets... every day I have to remind myself that. I'm three days away from where I was born, I'm three days and seven years away from my brothers. I'm isolated here... and... I'm in love with the man who's responsible for so much of my pain. Why? Why do you even exist?"_

_ By now, Temari's grip was actively beginning to make Shikamaru feel weak, but in those moments, he couldn't care about what was happening to him. His wife was telling no lies._

_ "Well? What... what can you say for yourself...? Why... why the hell are you so quiet?! Damn... Shikamaru... you're always complaining about something! Complain now! Complain to me now! __Complain, so I don't have to sit back, and I don't have to realize... I don't have to keep..."_

_ "__Temari... don't let anything get in the way of our hearts."_

_ There was a silence, and after it became unbearable._

_ "Don't let the war get in the way. Don't let the stares get to you. Don't let... don't..."_

_ His grip tightened harder on her._

_ "Don't let __**this**__ end for any reason. __**Please.**__"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"...We haven't heard from that particular group in a month, Gaara. It only takes a week to get to Konohagakure and back."

From his position in his chair, Gaara closed his eyes, and then leaned back. He could feel a string of anger flow through his veins, and it began to choke his thinking. He had been through 10 years of this. He knew exactly what might have happened to them.

And he had sent them anyway. He should've known.

There was a silence through the council chambers, and when Gaara finally opened his eyes again, the rest of his eight person council seemed to sit up as if at attention. The group were in the Kazekage's meeting room, and there were nine of them in all, four women, four men, and the Kazekage himself. Each of them was wearing a council robe save for the Kazekage, and the room itself was lit dark, all of the windows closed. They all sat around a singular long table, with the council members sitting on each side of the table and Gaara at the head.

The silence finally ended when one of the council members spoke up.

"We'll need to arrange their funerals for their families, but we do not have anything physical of theirs to prove that they are truly gone. I hope that their kin will take our word for it. We do not want to have any incidents-."

_**"**__**If you do not speak it into existence, then maybe it will not happen."**_

The councilman who had been interrupted turned his eyes towards Gaara, who had spoken last. Gaara looked up at him with annoyed eyes, his hand holding the side of his head. The councilman was much, much older than he was, and sprouted a greying beard from his chin. There was a scar on the right side of his lips, he was balding quickly, and his eyes silver looked at his Kazekage with a practised ease. After a few moments of their held gaze, Gaara abruptly broke contact with his eyes, shaking his head, and then looked forwards towards nothing.

"...My apologies, Yoshi."

The councilman leaned himself back into his chair. Gaara found himself surprised by this. Usually, Yoshi was one of his most outspoken council members, and he could recall many times where he would argue with him over battle plans, economics, and sometimes even philosophy. But today he seemed oddly quiet.

"This war has been hard on all of us. And with you being the Kazekage, your actions are understandable. It must be hard to bury your people."

Gaara nodded, and then chastised himself quietly for his breach of respect. Just because he ruled Sunagakure didn't mean that the power couldn't be taken away from him at any moment. Some of the members in this very room had been the ones to swear him in. Some of the members in the room had been the same people who voted for the war.

Gaara tried to take his mind off of that.

"...I suppose we can follow Yoshi's ideas for now. How... how is everything else proceeding...?"

There was still barely contained anger in his voice, but it was clear that it was directed towards himself. It was moments later that a council woman answered him.

"Shiori of the Puppet Core reports that Eden is almost finished, and that it should be done by the end of the year, if that. The builders that you called for have finally finished fixing the prisoner complex, and the rest of the prisoners have been relocated there, except for... the V.I.P. Also, we've received good news from the front. We're pushing Konohagakure back a good deal."

There was a weird and unwelcome silence after she finished speaking. Gaara was still thinking of the duties he'd have to attend to. Now that he had reasonable cause to consider them dead, he would likely have to make an appearance at each of their funerals, and come face to face with the families and friends that they had left behind. Then, after their funerals, he would have to continue to try and find ways past the leaf village's front. And after that, he still had to deal with...

His hands gripped the table. As the other council members continued to speak on things more domestic, he began to think back to Shikamaru Nara's continued existence. He failed at bringing him his son to use as an ultimatum, and now the man had spent nearly a year in his care without telling him _anything _of use. All he had done was scream, cry, and lose an ear and an eye. He was useless. No... he was stubborn.

He must have been doing all of it on purpose.

"...Lord Gaara?"

Gaara blinked, and then moved his face from his hands, looking up and at the councilman who had addressed him.

"Y-yes?"

"Lord Gaara, Councilman Yoshi wanted to know what you thought of his idea."

Gaara felt sweat rush to his brow. It wasn't a good thing to be caught unaware by your own council.

"Of course. He may do what he wants."

The meeting continued, but Gaara's mind wouldn't let him pay attention. The only thing he could think of was his responsibilities and duties, and all of the misfortune he had underwent. It was all his fault. His brother dying, his sister being murdered, his nephew remaining out of his grasp. Each day, Matsuri looked at him with less and less compassion, and each day Shiori grew more and more distant from him, even more distant from her own daughter. It was all his fault.

No... it was all _his _fault. The culprit and creator of all of his pain was currently withering away in his dungeon as the people in front of him spoke.

...He _would _get something out of him. He _would. _

Minutes passed, and soon the minutes turned into hours. Each council member brought up his or her own issue, and Gaara rarely gave a response that was coherent. Eventually, the mood that radiated from Gaara's mind choked the room, and they reached a natural end of their meeting. Once the meeting was over, Gaara wordlessly stood up from his seat, and moved to leave the chambers. Before he could, however, he could hear Councilman Yoshi's voice try to speak to him.

"Lord Gaara... be careful, yes? It would hurt to see the last child of Rasa fall into despair."

_...Last child..._

The implications of what he had said didn't occur to the Kazekage as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. With a dark look on his face, he began to stalk his way through the halls, his feet smashing against the ground beneath him with a vigour as he moved towards his dungeons.

Until...

"...Gaara... baby... _stop._"

Suddenly, he froze, and soon after he felt a hand go to his shoulder. He shook himself out of the fervour that he had been in, and turned in the direction of the hand to see that he had run into Matsuri. Her face showed an unhappy frown, and she was dressed in her ninja outfit, signifying that she was about to leave on a mission. He glanced at her, and as he did, his eyes softened, and his body language ceased it's tense shoulders and clenched fists. When he looked at her, he was calm.

She gripped his shoulder, and sucked in a breath.

"...Don't go down there today."

Gaara's calm was interrupted by her forward request. He raised a brow at her for a few moments, visually considering her request. But, within him, his fire still burned.

"...Gaara... please listen to me. You... every time you go down there... you just get angrier and angrier. I can't stand seeing you like this anymore... you need to calm down."

Gaara's previously precious face slowly became blank again. Matsuri took a step closer to him, and placed another hand on his other shoulder, gripping him just as tightly.

"Please... stay with me. Come. You and I can watch a movie, or maybe have an early lunch... or we can... we can do anything you want to do. I just... just not downstairs, Gaara. I don't want you going downsta-."

And then, Gaara twisted his shoulders, and within moments Matsuri's hands were off of him, and he was continuing his slow, yet strong walk towards the basement. He could hear her call out his name multiple times, all of them soft, caring pleas.

Until he opened the door to the lower floor, shut it tight behind him, and continued his descent towards his prisoner.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru Nara could feel his life fade away from him. But, oddly, he couldn't bring himself to care.

His one good eye idly glanced at the ceiling of his cell, and his hands idly scrambled on the floor that he lay on, trying to push himself to feel the ground beneath him. And yet, he could barely feel a thing aside from the still open wound on his forehead, and each breath he made was more shallow than the last. His room was barely visible to his eye, and he could hear the rats that scurried to and fro near his legs, likely eating some of the meals that had been laid at the entrance to his cell for weeks on end now, still untouched by their ideal recipient. His mouth hung open, and his lungs barely drew in enough breath to keep himself thinking straight. The pain and weakness in his body was great enough to keep him lying on his back for the rest of his life.

But in truth, that wasn't the thing that tortured him the most. Instead, as per usual, it was his _mind._

He couldn't stop thinking of the things he had done, and he couldn't help but think of everywhere he had failed. His pea for Gaara's forgiveness had failed, Temari was still missing, and now his own father was nowhere to be found.

Gaara... _Gaara..._

Shikamaru now shuddered when he remembered that name. The man had went from being his brother, to his enemy, to his nightmare. He-.

_...Ah...Ack..._

He felt his mind begin to ache harder again, and soon his mindset disappeared again. He returned to his state, a starving, dehydrated, half blind and half death man in the basements of the Kazekage's dungeon, waiting for his time to run out.

Suddenly, he began to hear footsteps in the dark. His breath hitched, and his eye frantically moved from looking at the ceiling above to the source of the sudden sounds. He found himself tensing up, he desperately didn't want to see anyone now, and the head of the Nara clan felt fear. And as the heavy, laboured steps came closer and closer to him, he could feel his breathing slow, and his hands lose their curiosity for the floor beneath him.

The figure in his cell walked closer to him, until Shikamaru could just barely make out the long councilman robes, and the relatively uncovered sandals. His eyes travelled up the ma's body until he caught glimpses of his tanned skin, and soon he rested on his face, wrinkled, with red tattoos. Half of his face was lost to a white piece of cloth, his head was covered with the same white linens...

"...B...Baki..."

Shikamaru's voice barely registered to the wind around him. Baki seemed to hear him nonetheless, and slowly knelt down to his level. His own eye looked over the man's scarred and battered body for a few silent moments, and afterwards, the aged man could only give the man a look of pity.

"... Nara. I never thought that you'd be so stupid as to get yourself into this mess..."

Shikamaru swallowed air.

"...I'm...I'm...I'm sorry."

Baki rolled his eyes, and then let out a sigh.

"You think that sorry is going to fix anything? Hell... sorry's the reason why your village is the way it is now. When you're on a battlefield, you don't apologize for protecting yourself. When you're up against a wall, you don't apologize to it for intruding on it's space."

Shikamaru took a deep breath in.

"...Do...Do you... maybe... yabe you ight know... sorry... Temari.. where is sh-."

"She's dead. How many people need to tell you that for you to understand?"

"...Can't... she was... just..."

Shikamaru's small hands grasped themselves and then released themselves in a frantic succession, and he felt pain when he breathed in air again. Baki shook his head at him, and his face slowly turned into one of disgust.

"And you're the man she chose to marry. Out of all the men in Sunagakure who would've treated her right, protected her, and kept her _alive_, **you're **the one that she decided to run off and marry. At least... at least you truly do care. Even if you're a failure in every sense of the word."

Shikamaru's good eye slowly veered away from his wife's old sensei, and in response he could've sworn he heard Baki let out a harsh chuckle. Or, it could have been laughter from the rodents that scurried around his cell, threatening to kill him with their disease. Nonetheless, if Baki was here now, then Shikamaru had a mountain's worth of things to tell him. Even if their last encounter had been...

"...You... you knew... you know... how did you know about... how... Te...Temari-."

"You should focus on getting rest, or at least moving yourself to eat some of the food that Gaara's given you. If he hasn't killed you yet, then he still has some use for you. It'd be a good idea to not make him angrier than he already is with you."

"...Te...Temar-."

"Shikamaru, she _told _me she was leaving. That's how I know."

Shikamaru fell silent, and Baki slowly moved himself to sit on the ground near his head. The rats that had been scurrying around Shikamaru stopped their fretting once the bigger man made his mark, and quickly dispersed.

"It was late at night when she left, and if I hadn't caught her, then I doubt she would've told anyone where she was going, or that she had ever left."

"...You...you never told...?"

Baki shook his head.

"It was the last thing she asked me to do. And... she knew I hated the war. I wasn't about to throw my best student under the bus for it."

There was a short pause, and Shikamaru's injured and hurting eyes began to pry at the state of Baki's body. He looked exactly the same since last he had seen him, his arms were bullied over with scars and his body was frail and old. He was much older than Shikamaru, but unlike the hidden leaf sensei, it was clear that the years hadn't been treating him well at all. His wrinkles were more pronounced, his one good eye seemed to ache and become unfocused almost as often as Shikamaru's own eyes did.

There was a silence that returned to the chambers for a short while, before Shikamaru finally found his train of thought again, and then, slowly, he tried his best to move his head to look at Baki face to face.

"...I'm... you weren't supposed to die..."

And at this, Baki threw back his head in laughter.

"Ha... you thought that I cared that much about my death? No... no not at all, Shikamaru. I died doing what I was _supposed _to be doing; protecting my lands from an invading force, and while putting one last invader into the ground. I lived for much longer than more shinobi, and had three great students. What regrets do I have? Regrets of love? I see my love every day now that I'm gone. What had I to live for at that point in my life? To live to see another pointless war? To live to see my 2 younger students slowly drive themselves to ruin? No... no. If anything, Shikamaru, you spared me from a pitiful death in the future."

There was a silence.

"Like the one you're going to have in the future."

Shikamaru's eye left Baki's, and he tried his best to clear his throat.

"...Will I.. How... how long until... how long until that happens-."

"Can't say. People like me... we're not allowed to tell."

And then, Shikamaru began to hear new footsteps faintly through his one good ear. His head slowly swivelled, and his eye weakly moved towards the door of his cell, the source of the sounds. His body began to shake with fear. No matter who was coming, he was sure that he didn't want to see them. He tried to move his arms, his legs, anything to help him get away, but his body wouldn't let him, not this time. His condition being so pitiful, he'd be forced to watch whatever came towards him, and adhere to it's demands.

He gulped. Then, he noticed Baki move to stand. The man seemed to have been finished looking him over.

"..W-..w-...wait..."

"I should I can give you some advice, Nara. But it's the same type of thing you've been hearing from Temari. A damn shame that it looks like you're forgetting it."

Baki leaned his head in close.

"... _Don't give up on your dream. _But... watch for Gaara. I didn't raise a fool, and he'll be the death of you if you let him."

Shikamaru flinched a second time when he heard the door to his cell open, and the moment his eye left Baki, the old man disappeared into thin air. But, the thing that he saw standing in the door to his cell made him pray for the old man to come back.

It was Gaara. And there was a sick look on his face.

The man took a few steps into Shikamaru's cell, and then locked the door behind him, leaving the two completely alone. Shikamaru was instantly confused and scared at the same time. Gaara _rarely _came to his cell alone, and when he did, the result was always against his favour. Worse still, the look on Gaara's face and the state of his body; him hunching over and his arms lanky and long, gave him the impression that he wasn't in a good mood.

It was going to end badly for him. He knew this well.

Shikamaru tried to keep his body still, but despite his efforts it still shook, and he couldn't help his mind from thinking it's piece. He wanted to get as far away from the Kazekage as possible, and yet his body wouldn't follow his mind's commands, wants or _needs. _Instead he was stuck there, lying, and slowly dying helpless at his captor's feet, only able to look back as Gaara's gaze slowly came upon him.

And once it was, the mans' face slowly transformed into the same look that he had on his face on the day that Shikamaru lost his eye and ear. And in response, Shikamaru's face turned pathetic.

"..._**Butcher... you have taken three more lives."**_

__Shikamaru's shaking wouldn't stop, and yet his good eye looked around his cell, desperate to find a way of escape-.

_**"Look at me. You still have one eye. Use it."**_

__Shikamaru could feel his will breaking under the man's hateful glare.

"P-p-please... G...Gaa-."

Shikamaru felt the words in his throat fall to the ground as Gaara's footsteps returned, and the man moved closer to him, stepping over and on the puddles of blood that lined his cell. He stopped once he was standing directly over the man on the floor, and took a deep, hollow breath.

He then spat onto Shikamaru's face. This helped his words rise again.

"P-p-please...Gaara... no more... please... no more just... please I can... I can't do this anymore please..."

"Do you think I care? No. Not after all you have done... Not after all _**you **_have ruined..."

Shikamaru could almost feel tears come to his eye, as his need for mercy overwhelmed his pride and self respect. Gaara watched the spectacle with disgusted pupils. The tears that Shikamaru was crying weren't water.

They were blood.

The sand beneath Shikamaru began to swirl and shift, and soon they formed crude bindings for him. In chains again, Shikamaru then felt the sand push, crush and move his body up into a kneeling position, and move his hands behind his back. His blood tears wouldn't stop, and his mouth opened in pain. Sitting up, he now found it even harder to breathe.

_** "...You are going to tell me everything I want today, Shikamaru. Or I will finish what I have started."**_

__Shikamaru's jaw shook.

"..C...C...can...can... please Gaara I-."

_**"Please please please. You are PATHETIC."**_

__Shikamaru felt his bindings grip him harder, and his voice returned to him so that he could scream.

_**"YOU KILL THOUSANDS, NEAR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, AND NOW YOU HAVE THE DAMN NERVE TO BE CRYING TO ME FOR MERCY!? AFTER ALL YOU HAVE DONE?!"**_

__Gaara's voice began to make Shikamaru's good ear ache, ad he lowered his head. Big mistake. Soon afterwards, he felt a hit from Gaara, and quickly realized that this time, Gaara needed no knife to harm him. No Jutsu. No Guards.

All he needed were his words, and his hands. Silently, Shikamaru prayed for death.

_**"NO! NOW, GET YOUR MEMORY WORKING! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT NARUTO'S PLANS!?"**_

__"I-I-I-I Don! I Don' know! It... it been months! You know... I dont know anymore I don't remember please _**GOD **_Gaara **_STOP!_**"

The punches kept on coming, and with each punch, Shikamaru felt his brain jumble around in his skull, and saw his body move closer and closer to the ground. Minutes passed, and, despite Gaara's rather weak physique, he found that his pain hurt no less. The only thing he could do was cry, cry out, and pray that Gaara would accidentally finish him off.

Soon, he bit his tongue, and blood began to gush from the wound. The bruising on his face was actively turning his skin purple. He could barely register what was going on, and soon began to forget his own name. Meanwhile, Gaara's chants continued. They echoed through the halls, as his cries did.

_**"YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU PIECE OF SHIT! LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME! LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME! THOSE PEOPLE... THOSE PEOPLE UP THERE... OUT THERE!"**_

__Shikamaru's bindings slowly loosened, and the next punch that Gaara gave sent him tumbling to the ground, landing on his face. Gaara's fists wouldn't let up, and instead of punching him, they grabbed his head and began to slam it against the floor, so hard that Shikamaru's cries began to muffle against the sand.

_**"THEY CANNOT TRUST ME ANYMORE! THEY CANNOT EVEN FOLLOW MY WILL OR MY RULES! AND WHY SHOULD THEY WHEN I CANNOT PROTECT THEM!? WHEN I CANNOT PREVENT THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS FROM DYING?!"**_

__Shikamaru heard a crack.

_**"AND YOU KNOW WHY I CANNOT DO THAT?! BECAUSE OF BITCHES LIKE YOU AND FUCKING NARUTO! BOTH OF YOU SICK FUCKING BASTARDS LIED TO ME! YOU LIED! YOU LIED YOU LIED YOU LIED YOU TOLD ME EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT! THEN BOOM! BOOM BOOM EVERYONE DIES! EVERYONE ENDS UP DYING AROUND ME! AND THEN YOU TELL ME THIS WAR IS UNNECESSARY!? NO! IT IS NECESSARY! TO PROTECT THEM... FROM MOTHERFUCKERS LIKE YOU!"**_

__He couldn't feel a thing now, except his heartbeat begin to slow down.

_**"AND NOW YOU WILL TELL ME EVERYTHING I WANT TO KNOW, SHIKAMARU! YOU HAVE THE ANSWERS! YOU HAVE THE FUCKING KEY! TELL ME! TELL ME SO I CAN FUCKING END THIS! SO I CAN FUCKING END EVERYTHING! TELL ME-."**_

__**"****GAARA STOP!"**

The next few moments rushed by like a sandstorm. Shikamaru's head was suddenly let go of, and Gaara felt himself being pushed off of the now bloodied man. The cell door crashed against the cell's bars. Gaara soon found himself up against the back wall of the cell. He still screamed.

_**"WHO THE HELL, GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME! I AM NOT FINISHED YET-."**_

__But once his eyes looked forwards to see that it was Shiori who had pushed him against the wall, he instantly felt regret. Soon, his vision, previously tainted by the red blood that Shikamaru had spilled, now focused. Matsuri was near the bars of the cell, along with three other of his closest and most trusted shinobi. And Shikamaru laid on the floor, his face down on the ground, arms and legs sprawled out, and head a bloody mess.

"...Shiori... what... what are you doing here-."

"I came because Okuni wanted to see her Uncle. But not like this. _None _of us want to see you like this."

Gaara shook his head, and his eyes focused on the man who was now bleeding out on the cell floor. Shiori noticed this.

"Gaara."

"Shiori... Matsuri... everyone leave."

"Gaara."

"There is something I need to finish with the prisoner."

"Gaara, we're not going to let you. You're going to come up to the main floor with us, and then you're going to sit with us, and we're going to watch some relaxing television."

"There is something I need to finish with the prisoner."

"There is nothing you need to finish with the prisoner."

"Shiori, get out of my way-."

The moment that Gaara tried to push her off of him, she increased her pressure on him.

"I'm not going to let you do this to a VIP level prisoner. At least, not before you think it through."

"I am the _**Kazekage. **_You disobeying me is a **_punishable offence."_**

__"Heh. You think I'm scared of you, Gaara? One of the first things that Kankuro told me was not to be-."

"_**SHIORI, THE MAN WHO MURDERED YOUR HUSBAND IS LYING RIGHT THERE! IN A PUDDLE OF BLOOD! NOW LET ME FINISH MY WORK WITH HIM! LET ME FIX THIS! LET ME MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER! LET ME FUCKING END THIS!"**_

__Shiori's eyes widened, but her push on him wouldn't let up. Slowly, her mouth dropped open, and her eyes narrowed, head turning to look at the man who was dying on the floor. Near the entrance to the cage, Matsuri turned to look away from her.

But.

"...It doesn't fucking matter what he did, Gaara. Killing him isn't going to bring those villagers back. Killing him isn't going to bring Temari back. And killing him... it's not bringing Kankuro back."

There was a pause.

"...And you fucking _**know **_this."

Gaara's body instantly stopped struggling against hers.

There was another eerie silence in the cell of Shikamaru Nara. Gaara's body slacked against the wall that Shiori had pushed him up against, and his eyes slowly lowered, losing any feeling that they had had earlier. His bloodied fists ceased their grip, and his shoulders loosened. His chin fell to the ground, and his eyes lowered in the same direction.

And then, Matsuri strode over the ocean of Nara Blood, and tugged her boyfriend by his hand, leading him out of the cell.

The other guards that Matsuri had brought with her wordlessly followed, and Gaara's feet moved to let her guide him without any more resistance. Meanwhile, Shiori slowly moved herself near the bars of the cell, but before she left, she turned to face the prisoner.

He was still lying on the ground, face down. But now, his tears had become more rampant, and his hands were struggling to cover his face. The man looked the definition and pinnacle of the word pathetic. Tattered hair, facial and cranial, patterned his head, and multiple wounds, bruises and maiming patterned the rest of it. Months after his ear and eye had been taken from him, and now both parts of his body tried to make due and heal with them, leaving a hideous and garish sight.

And then... his voice became clearer to her.

"...God... anyone... anyone above. T-t-this.. this is... Shikamaru... Shikamaru Nara. Son of... you know my parents... you... you have them. Please... please... we barely... we _**never **_talk. But I would have... I... I... I would have... I would _**love **_you if you... please God I can't... please... _**kill **_me. I can't... there's... Temari... Temari. Safe... safeguard... my son... please look after... look after him please. Please... God let me see her again... _**kill me... so I can see her again. I'll gladly pay for my sins in Hell... **__**for an... eternity...**__** if you just let me... glance... at her... for one last time.**_"

This was the man who had killed her husband.

_...__Pathetic._

She shut the cell door hard and loud, and then moved to look for a medical nin capable of miracles.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikadai huffed and puffed.

"Oh come on now man," Inojin said. "We all know we did trash on that test."

"Shh!" Chocho added, her face twirling into a grin. "Let him dream! It makes the part where he exclaims something is trouble even more funny."

_Troublesome, _Shikadai thought. He was ignoring the both of them, and instead looking on the figure of his teacher walking up the aisle, and handing back the tests that had been done last week. With each test that was given back to each student, there was either a moan or a cheer. His fingers touched his other fingers in an imitation of his father's signature stance, and his eyes narrowed at his teacher. There was one more row until he reached them. He was ready this time-.

"Hey, Shikadai. I forgot, did you want to come over tonight for dinner? My mom's making my favourite, and if it gets too late, I think we have an extra guest room."

Finally, Shino reached their row. Wordlessly, he handed the tests to each of the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and then moved onto their classmates.

"Niiicee!" Inojin exclaimed.

"Eh, s'alright," Chocho muttered.

And Shikadai was left looking at his own paper. Ever since he had entered the academy, his grades had been mediocre at best, and failing at worst. But... ever since Mirai had given him their "talk", he had tried. He had tried for his parents.

And now, on his test on Laws, Ethics and Duties For Shinobi, he had gotten 99/100. A near perfect grade. Near his mark, there was a small note.

_Keep up the great work, young heir. Your parents would have been so proud of you._

_ \- S. Aburame_

_ P.S., You still need to score at least 70/100 on the final exam to pass this course. Oh, and Sarada has a higher mark than you. A little friendly competition might make you better. But, please, for the love of all that's sacred, don't take it __**too **__far. _

Shikadai's face lit up into a full smile.

"...Yeah, sure. I'll come over. As long as we study before I go. School's... not so troublesome after all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_I hope you all liked the chapter! Also, this is a small thing that you don't necessarily have to respond to, but what chapter is your favourite so far in the story? I just want to know for future reference. Alright, thank you very much for reading, please leave a review if you can, and I should update again by the 31__st__ of March!_


	47. To Be King of The Hill

_AN: A lot of people are going to love this chapter. Some people are going to hate this chapter. However, I hope that everyone so far who's reading at least still is interested in the story. This next "arc" is going to be an interesting one, and it's also going to finally acknowledge what the other hidden villages have been up to during the war. Also, I'm trying to bring in a lot of the other Naruto characters that I've sort of been forsaking for a while (Might Guy, Rock Lee, Kiba, etc. I can't tell you the rest because I'd be spoiling my own story XD) Well, let's get started. This chapter is about __**twice**__ as long as my normal updates (11,572 words), so have fun!_

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_September 10__th__, 11__th__ Year of the Konohagakure-Sunagakure conflict_

"I'll never be Kurenai _Hatake, _Kakashi."

From his position beside her on the bench, Kakashi raised an eyebrow in surprise. The rest of his face, handily hidden beneath his mask, tried it's best to remain calm.

"...Were you ever Kurenai _Sarutobi?"_

Now it was her turn to look surprised, and she slowly leaned herself back into the bench that they shared. He could feel that he had struck a nerve with her, and then covered what was still visible of his face with his hand, and shook his head slowly.

"...Sorry. I really am. But that's not why I asked you here."

Kurenai's face took a dark turn.

"Then why did you?"

Kakashi leaned himself back on the bench, and then put his hands behind him.

"I just wanted to sit and chat with an old friend, that's all. Get lost on the path of life. All that jazz. And I figured, you're always working. So... why not?"

There was a pause.

"You deserve to take a load off every once in a while."

Kurenai took a deep breath, and then slowly relaxed her shoulders, leaning back completely into the bench that the two of them shared. She then raised her head to the sky above them, and spent a few precious moments watching the clouds go by. It was moments before he spoke again.

"...Fine. Let's relax."

Kakashi stretched his feet in front of him, and then slouched against the bench. It was midday, and the sun was still high in the sky. The two of them were sitting on a bench in a more secluded corner of town, the street being nearly empty despite the time of day. There were still businesses around them and carts that occasionally would try and offer the two some food, but other than that the only notable thing was the viewing point that the seats faced, from which one could see a clear view of the Hokage Mountain. There were trees that scattered the road, a tree that stood behind them, fresh grass at their feet, a cool autumn's wind and a relaxed overcast above them. Every now and then, someone would walk by and greet the former Hokage and his friend, but other than that the two were alone.

Just as Kakashi wanted it.

He joined her with looking up into the sky. As the clouds went by, he began to go against his own rules, and thought back over to the situation that his village had found themselves in the past few months. They lost their greatest strategist, and they had pretty much lost their current Hokage as a result. He had heard of Shikadai's attempted kidnapping, and then had found his former student drunk on the job. The enemy line gradually approached their borders, and their Hokage had become more and more of a recluse, meaning that he himself had been pushed further and further into the position that had left. Each meeting of the elders called for more and more action, and yet each meeting ended with the same result: no action. The end of his village seemed to be coming right in front of his eyes, and there seemed to be very little that he could do about it.

His mind continued it's torrent of worry for many minutes after, until he heard shifting from beside him. He saw Kurenai look at the watch on her right arm. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Late for something?" He ventured. She shook her head.

"I _eventually _have to go home, Kakashi. But for now I should be fine. Anyways... how have things been going for you lately?" She paused for a moment, and then quickly added.

"Has the village been blown up yet?"

Kakashi responded with a dark laugh. _Just because we're all probably going to die doesn't mean we can't have a laugh about it... right? _

"Well, if it did you and I wouldn't be here, would we? Things have been alright with me, I guess. Just a lot of paperwork, some sadness. Lots of preparation too." He then paused.

"When I left the position as Hokage, I thought I'd never get the chance to complain about those things ever again. Looks like I was wrong. Anyways... how about you?"

Kurenai shrugged.

"There's not much more for me to do, really. Mirai's old enough to take care of herself, and she's always up and about now. There aren't really a lot of duties for me to take care of as a Genjutsu Specialist either. And with Naruto under his predicament... I haven't been sent on any missions in a long time."

She leaned onto on of her arms.

"It's almost like I'm not part of the war. And then I turn on the TV, and I see that more of our ninja have died. It's... strange. Almost as if we're living in some isolated bubble away from the real world, you know?"

"I know. And it's been that way for at least six years." He took a deep breath.

"Shikamaru's work still seems to be paying off... even if it's going to be over soon."

"Do you believe he's really gone...?"

Kakashi glanced at Kurenai for a long while, and then, after a few minutes, he shook his head slowly.

"... I have to agree with Naruto. The way he disappeared is just.. too convenient. Shortly after his wife dies, he goes missing on the first mission we send him off on? With both of his old comrades not being able to see him die? At first, I speculated that he might have went off to get some sort of revenge. He did so before. But now... I fear that it might be something much worse than that..."

Kurenai frowned slowly.

"...Do you think he's been captured?"

"It's the only theory that makes sense. But... it's been so long. If he's been captured by the other side..." He shook his head.

"Gaara would've killed him the moment that he found out the truth about Temari. But anyways... let's get back to some more lighter topics. Have you been able to see any good movies lately?"

Kurenai shrugged. The two then continued to shoot the wind with each other for a few minutes longer, and slowly both of their cagey demeanours subsided. Their sense of time was quickly extinguished, and soon the afternoon turned late, and the sun began to turn a darker colour. Their bodies began to relax with one another's and eventually the two sat closer to one another, not quite touching yet. Around them, the former village began to bustle with activity, yet none of the residents seemed too invested in what was happening with the former Hokage and one of his old comrades.

Finally, the two found themselves laughing together again. When the laugh subsided, Kakashi heard Kurenai's words again.

"..Well... I've got to say. This was a pretty nice way to spend an afternoon. Although, I really should go home now. I'm not as young as I used to be."

She moved forwards to stand up, but before she could, looking forwards, she found herself staring at a peculiar and unexpected sight.

Shikadai Nara.

He was walking on the other side of the street, and didn't seem to have seen them yet. In hi hands were clearly another odd sight on his person; a notebook and pencil. He walked tall and strong, completely unlike how he used to, and his head was high in the sky. Childish, but clearly proud. Around him, she could see his friend Inojin holding his own notebook and pen, and it was easy to overhear their conversation.

"...So my place today?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome! You want to play some ga-."

"Before I do that, I have to study for a while. It's recommended that I study for at least 3 hours a day-."

"Ugh, Shikadai you're so boring now."

"I guess that's just _troublesome _for you."

The two moved out of earshot, and Kurenai noticed that Kakashi was watching the two boys as well. Once he was sure that they weren't looking at the two of them, she heard his voice again.

"...There goes the little Nara heir..." he muttered, a slight mocking tone in his voice. Kurenai sighed, and then let out a light smile.

"He's changed a lot in the past year. So young... yet he acts so... old now."

"Losing your parents will do that to you."

Kurenai nodded.

"I suppose. No matter where they are... I'm sure they'd both be proud of their little whippersnapper. Speaking of which... Mirai was telling me that he's inherited Temari's Wind Nature. That's what she's been doing with him for the past few months, training him."

"Has anyone told him about _why _he has that nature?"

"No."

"Good. It'd just be one big headache to tell him."

"Mirai says she's waiting until his 9th Birthday."

"That should be a good amount of time. Although I dread the day he does find out. I doubt he'll take it very well..."

There was a pause.

"...Is that it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... you have the same nature that he does. What... you don't feel like taking on another student?"

Kakashi chuckled sadly.

"The greatest student I've ever had is a hopeless drunk who rarely goes home to his family. Trust me, I'm sparing the kid. Not to mention, the Nara clan might not be too welcoming of the former Hokage taking on their heir as a student. They might think I have an agenda."

"You're doubting yourself too much. Naruto's going through a tough time, and Sasuke... Well. He had a rough childhood, but now he's a fully functioning adult. Sakura runs her own hospital. You wouldn't be ruining Shikadai, you'd just be increasing his knowledge."

This made Kakashi place a hand on his chin.

"Hmm... well. Taking up a student like that _would _be interesting. However, I think Mirai has a pretty good handle on things already. I mean, Shikadai's went from someone nearly obsessed with revenge to relatively normal. She's already doing a good job with him... I suppose it wont hurt to step in once he needs "advanced jutsu" though."

With that, Kurenai slowly raised from he bench that the two of them shared.

"Speaking of Mirai, I need to get home early enough to actually make some dinner for her. Lest she waste all of her money on Ichiraku's. I'll see you later, Kakashi-."

She felt interrupted and a tad jilted when she saw Kakashi stand up as well.

"Would you like me to walk you home?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

The former Hokage shrugged.

"You wouldn't want to get lost on the path of life, wouldn't you?"

For a few moments, Kurenai let her eyes rest upon his. The conversations that she had with him during the day slowly returned to her, and she began to recognize some of the patterns he and her had had for over the last few years.

Almost like when...

She shuddered, and then noticed that he had outstretched one of his hands, and had bowed before her like a gentleman. She scoffed.

".. ' Get lost on the path of life?' If anything, I'm _more _likely to get lost on it if I'm with you."

She slowly took his hand, and tried her best to dispel the old memories of her fiance.

"You can walk me to my door, but you're not coming in."

As the two walked away, Mirai Sarutobi watched them from her position across the street. Her mouth slowly curved into a scowl.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the middle of the night, Gaara felt a struggle on his chest. His eyes snapped open on cue.

The image in front of him was the closest he'd likely ever get to seeing heaven on earth. He was in his room lying on his bed, and the scene around him was sufficiently dark for him to have been sleeping earlier. The room itself was very large, suitable for a Kage, and on the other side of it he could see a grand double door. On either side of the door were large dressers, and on the right side, his side, he could see an extra walk in closet. The rest of the room was plainly decorated, and the entire left side of the room was a singular, yet very large window, and through it the moon shone in true. His bed was large, large enough for at least three more people, and his sheets were adorned with golden trappings and a brown colour.

But none of these things compared in beauty to the woman who had been lying on his chest, and was now rolling herself off of him. Matsuri.

He watched as she made her way to his left side, and then began to lightly prod his left shoulder. His head slowly turned to hers, and once it did, his lips were greeted with hers for a short while. The kiss made his instincts go wild, just as they had the night before, and he brought his arms around her away, and turned to his side to bring her closer. He could hear her laugh, and, in the moonlight of the night, he could swear that she seemed like an angel. She was, after all, one of the few good things in his life that hadn't gone away yet. Once they finished kissing, she broke away from him, and he brought his hands to her marvellous brown locks. She took a breath, and then looked into his eyes, her on face slowly turning into a scowl.

He could tell that something was wrong.

"...Matsuri? What is the matter?"

She stayed silent for a long while, and when she broke the silence, he began to wish that she had not spoken her mind for once.

"We need to finish our business with Shikamaru Nara."

Upon mention of that man's name, Gaara instantly fell into a mood. As abruptly as he had awoken, he turned himself to the other side of the bed, letting his back face hi lover, and then tried to focus his eyes to look up at the moon.

"...No." His voice was hoarse and much harsher than he had meant for it to be, but in the moment he couldn't bring himself to care. Matsuri placed her hands on his back, and slowly began her old ritual; smoothing her fingers down his spine, and pushing her chest against his body, trying to cover him in her own warmth.

"...It's been too long Gaara. We need to move on."

"No." His voice still retained it's animosity, although she knew well that it wasn't directly meant for her. The Kazekage jerked forwards to get her hands off of his back, and then pulled more sheets towards his body. He sighed.

"Goodnight."

"Gaara, please don't do this tonight. You know it's true. It's been nearly a year, and he's near useless to us..."

She paused, and then reached out, this time placing a hand on his shoulder.

"... And just look at what he's doing to you."

She could almost feel Gaara raise a brow. She found herself shuddering in fear for a moment, before steeling her resolve, and moving closer to him. She had to convince herself that there was nothing to fear. She loved him. He loved her.

He wouldn't hurt her... not this time.

"What are you even talking about?" Gaara spat. His eyes then travelled to his priced cactus, which was situated by the large window. Matsuri took a deep breath in, and gulped.

"Ever since he got here, you've changed. You used to be so... calm. So in control. You used to have time for so man things other than the war, but now all you do is... plan and plan and plan. Plot and plot and plot. You used to... just look at the state of our village. Collapsing buildings, frail walls. Our ninja are dying now faster than ever. He's influencing how you are, and you need to be _who _you are..."

Her voice trailed off. Her lover didn't respond, and instead kept his back to her. She gripped her fists tightly.

"...Please respond Gaara. You know it's true. You... You know-."

"So you are suggesting that what, I just let him go!?"

The moment that Gaara's voice began to boom, Matsuri fearfully removed her hand, and felt herself get pushed back. His back was still to her, and now, with the deep tone of his voice returning, she began to hope that he wouldn't turn around. A weak sound was heard on the floor around their bed. When another length of silence came and went, Matsuri would try to speak again.

"...Gaara that's not what I'm trying to say-."

"It sure does sound like that is what you mean to say! You understand how much that man's done to... done to everyone around us, yes?! You are aware of what he has done to our stability, our village's reputation, our village's future, yes!? You are aware of all of the people that he has killed, you are aware of what he has done to... done to..."

His voice trailed off, and when it returned, Matsuri could hear his voice crack.

"... _Me?! _And now, after you have seen him do all of that, you _still _find words to defend him! Like you did all those months ago! Why?! You seem to have more words for him than anyone else nowadays!"

Matsuri kept herself silent, and tried her best to steel her face, as if it would keep her from her shaking and shivering. Gaara's back was still towards her, and she could only imagine the look that he had on his face now. The images in her head made her even more afraid, and now for different reasons than before. The moments passed. The swirling from the ground became more vocal, and she began to realize that it was sand. Gaara was so angry...

She gulped.

"And now... you are what... you are asking for me to... to _**spare **_him!? To let him _**go?! **_To... to-."

"Gaara, I'm not advocating for that-."

"Then what _**ARE **_you advocating for?! It is bad enough that you have... tried to take my own village away from me! You have barred me from seeing my own damn prisoner!? Why?! You tell me... you told them that I cannot be on field missions anymore?! Why!? Dammit-."

_**"Gaara I'm suggesting that we kill him!"**_

__Suddenly, the sand at their feet began to stop it's swirling. Gaara looked over his shoulder to see that by the time he he done so, Matsuri was on the other edge of the bed, trying her best to keep her distance from him without leaving the comfort of their bed. Her eyes were narrowed and harsh, something that he had rarely ever seen on her face before, and her body language showed that she was trying her best to not be touched by him. His previously combative and angry face softened in surprise, and he slowly rolled himself over so that they were face to face.

"...What."

Matsuri took a deep breath in.

"You heard me. We call the executioners, and we get the bows, or the knives, or the, the somethings the anythings!- and we end his life. It's... I can't take this anymore Gaara. Every time... for the past few months...I can't take and I can't stand what he's doing to you! What he's doing to all of us... but what he's doing to you! You used to be... before the war you were such a... you... Gaara I... just get rid of him! When he's around you're like this, when he's even _alive _you're anxious and angry-."

"Mat-."

"Don't interrupt me please! I'm... I'm tired of all of this back and forth that you try to do with him! I'm tired of all of this... I'm tried of everything being pushing back! I'm tired of you going down to the basement... I'm tired of you trying! Do you think that beating him is going to bring anyone that he's killed back?! I'm tired of... I'm tired of what he's doing to you Gaara and I can't and if this is the... if this is the type of man you are... then I don't want to get married to you. Not now... not ever."

And with that, Gaara could feel something within him _break._

His face flattened completely, and he was left staring blankly into her empty eyes. Her final declaration had been the only thing in her previous rant that had really given him pause, and it was the thing that would haunt him for many days to the future. Her face was perhaps even worse than her words, and even in the dark of night it was clear that she was... tired. Not angry... but fatigued. Finished with him. Finished with his words, his anger, and his actions.

And then, it was Gaara's turn to feel scared.

All of those proposals pushed back, all of the wedding dates pushed away and cancelled. All of those promises made from the first day of the war, and all of the promises broken and outcomes unwelcome. All of the fights the two had, one sided on his side, and all of the pain that he had brought her... was culminating in this. She never had spoken to him about this before. This lead him to believe that she was serious.

The look on her face, her body language, and her eyes only helped her case.

"...Matsuri..."

It was the only thing that left his lips. Her eyes narrowed, and her took a deep breath. He reached his hands out to her on their bed, but she flinched away from him.

"...Matsuri I... I am so-."

"I don't want to hear it Gaara-."

"Matsuri... I... I get... I am..."

His hands slowly moved to cover his face, and his head fell to his chest.

"... You are... right... right. I... I am so sorry I do not know what has been... going on with me lately. I do... it... I just... I lose my sister... I lose my brother... I... It is... And now..."

Gaara's ramblings continued for much longer after. All throughout the time, Matsuri watched him from a safe distance, still not comfortable to embrace him again. Instead, she looked upon him with melting eyes, as he tried his best to return his voice and his thoughts back to one another. The way that the moonlight shone on his face accented his hair, and along with his still pale skin and his odd eye colour...

He truly did look like a monster. Matsuri loved him nonetheless. But... sometimes...

Eventually, Gaara's mutterings stopped, and his head left his hands, looking up at his lover.

"...Ok."

His voice felt smoother than before, but it was still quite pathetic. When nothing followed it, Matsuri ventured.

"...Ok...?"

"... We... we can kill him. I just... blackmail? Can we... blackmail Konohagakure first?"

Matsuri slowly nodded her head, and her fear of him slowly subsided.

"That sounds like a great plan, Gaara. We could use the conference chat... but we have to hope that they will accept."

"M...Matsuri..."

"Yes?"

"...So.. so so-."

"Gaara, don't apologize to me with words. Do it with your actions."

Gaara's face took on a darker turn.

"...O... ok... ok I will..."

There were tears in his eyes now, and when he reached out for her again, she once again moved away from him.

"...I... I really want to marry you. I... I was not lying... I was not lying any of those times-."

"I know."

"I... I just..."

Her face stayed stony. Gaara sucked in a breath, and then rolled himself to the other side of his bed, facing away from her again. He began to think through the ramifications of his agreement, and thought through the next day's time line. He knew he couldn't touch her again, no, not like last night. Not until he... not until-.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"...We're all continuous improvements, baby. We all have our lows. But we need to... we need to keep striving for our highs."

Gaara could only nod, and another hand joined his other shoulder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Kankuro heard the doors to his cell open, he instantly felt himself become angry. But once he turned his head and saw that it was Ino, he felt his anger subside a small bit, even though his fists retained their grip.

Her body was barely visible while she was standing in the doorway, as the rest of his guards had turned off the lights for the night. Once she moved to the side and fiddled with a switch, however, his large grey room was illuminated, and so was he. In the months since he had been blackmailed, both of their appearances had deteriorated. His missing leg now looked as if it had never been there, but the more pressing and important chances were to his face. There was now a thick and healthy beard that hung from his chin and under his nose and the hair that was atop his head gave him a frazzled and un-kept crown. His eyes were glossed over with embarrassment and shame, and even though they were on her , they seemed to be looking past her as opposed to at her. He had been lying on his side on the floor, trying to get some rest, but the moment he heard the sounds from her door he had pushed himself up and back towards the wall. The months that he had spent without his leg made it easier for him to judge his own mobility, and while it still ached him being trapped, he would have to live with it.

At least for now.

Ino continued to walk towards him, holding a tray in her hands. It had a cup of water on it, along with a plate full of berries and cheese. Upon seeing the contents of the tray, as well as how close she was getting to him, Kankuro raised a brow.

"...It's late. Why are you here?"

It was. He had no windows in his cell, not since his previous escape attempt, but he could still tell when he had been interrupted. Ino's neutral face slowly tensed, noting the tone of his voice. It was tired. It wasn't like him at all.

She tried her best to put on a playful grin.

"Oh, what? No sexual innuendos? No flirting? No other complete disregard for me having a husband?"

Kankuro focused his eyes on her, and sighed.

"...Just leave me alone. Put the food down and get out of here."

Ino raised her brows.

"Well, no. I don't think I will do that. You're not in char-."

"Usually you get someone else to bring the food. I haven't seen you in months. So why would you come now-."

His voice suddenly stopped, and he looked away from her, putting up a hand.

"I'm not answering another fucking thing."

Ino shrugged, and then bent down, placing the tray in front of him. She then spent a few moments looking at Kankuro, and took a breath. It was true. She hadn't seen him for many months, and during those times there had been no interrogation. She hadn't been ordered to gain anything more from him after she had gained enough, and therefore he had spent the rest of the year trapped here, doing absolutely nothing. She had ordered for him to be taken out on a few walks and to have some time outside, but it was clear that they were doing nothing for his mental state. The guards that had contact with him frequently reported about his state of what could be considered depression; his defiant jests weakened and his voice darkened, and in the days that were now, he barely spoke. All occurring after Ino had threatened to kill his family.

She frowned. In front of her, Kankuro had reverted his attention to the food that was in front of him, and slowly began to eat it without question, not bothering to check for poisons. The two were silent for a few long moments after, before he noticed her uncanny stares.

"... It's late. Once again, why are you here?"

Ino took a deep breath. There was something that she wanted to make sure that she asked the man, and for once, it had nothing to do with her work. Instead, it was morbid curiosity.

"Tell me about your family."

Kankuro stopped moving, and the piece of cheese in his hand suddenly dropped back onto his plate. His eyes returned to her, and this time, his face began to turn red.

"...You have some nerve. You, asking about my woman and my girl. Why don't you fuck off? For all I know, you've already murdered them."

"Trust me Kankuro. If we killed them, then there would be no use for you, and you would be dead too. Now... come on. Tell me more about them. No one else is looking in-."

"And I guess I've got your word for that, don't I?" As he spoke, Ino could hear Kankuro's voice become larger, stronger, and more abrasive. "Your word, why... why do you even need me to tel you about them when you've probably been snooping around in my brain as I sleep!? Get the hell out of here. It's already bad enough that you've locked me up here for a damn year. What else do you want?"

Ino spent a few moments looking at him, before she wordlessly stood up, and then turned herself around. The angry look on Kankuro's tortured face continued as he watched her walk away from him, but, just before she was able to open the door and leave...

"Wait... Don't go. We can... talk."

Ino sighed, and then turned herself around, and then headed back towards Kankuro, eventually sitting herself down in front of him. She made sure that she was still a good distance away from him, but still close enough so that they could speak normally, without having to shout to be heard. She then placed her hands behind her, leaned back, and took a deep breath at the man in front of her.

"...Well?"

"... My daughter's a curious little brat... but I suppose I do love her to death. She's... seven... or six now? Damn, I don't remember. I can barely remember so many things about her..."

Minutes passed, and those minutes turned to hours. The two of them continued to simply speak about their respective families, Kankuro had the floor, and every now and then Ino would interject and share her own stories. Both of them were obviously very careful as to not reveal everything about themselves, but the details they shared were still genuine. Near the end of their conversation, Kankuro even found a laugh in him, a real laugh. The first of it's kind that he had seen for ten years.

But, afterwards...

"That's it. What's your game, Ino?"

Now it was Ino's turn to laugh.

"...I just wanted to see if you were still really human under all this."

"Human? What the hel- did Sai put you up to this?"

Ino nodded, and then slowly moved to her feet again. She quickly looked over at the tray that she had brought him, and, once noticing that there was still a lot of food on it, she left it the way that it was. She then looked back up at Kankuro and sighed.

"He's still thinking about how you used to be, I guess. I told him about your condition, and he told me to try this, just to see if your reaction was genuine. For all we know, there might have been no Okuni, there might have been no Shiori. Your memories could've been fabrications."

There was a small pause, and Kankuro leaned back to the wall behind him.

"Well? What is your finding?"

"That you're trapped on the wrong side of the war. Listen, Kankuro, you know how much this war is bullshit. You know how much both our villages used to get along. You know how close _we _used to be. So... why? Why did you and your brother start this mess?"

She gripped her fists slowly.

"And why did it have to culminate in Temari being killed? Do you have any idea what you have done to the previously stable and noble Nara clan? Shikamaru was a complete wreck, and he's been dead for... damn nearly a year now. The only thing left of those two is their son, and he's... _trying... _but it's obvious that he'll never live up to the men that his father and grandfather were. Just... why? Why did you have to ruin your sister's life?"

Any other day, Kankuro would've hid his feelings, smirked, and then waited for her to leave to let his true feeling shine through. But the mood that he was in wouldn't allow him to lie. His body slacked against the back of the wall, and he took a deep breath in.

"... I was angry. That... can really answer both questions, really. I... Gaara and I killed Temari out of anger. Out of pain. Out of... jealousy, I suppose. We were both just... mad at her. There we were, on the eve of our greatest victory against the _Butcher _himself, and there she was, running out in front of him, protecting him. Telling us to _go away. _That she hated what we were doing. It was... she had looked at all of the dead bodies her husband had produced, she looked at 10 years away from her home, and she looked at _us, _and the person she chose to stand by was _still him. _Even at our expense. I couldn't... _fucking take it. _It was worse than a simple betrayal, shinobi run from their villages all the time, but she? She didn't even say goodbye... I grew up with her, she used to be the only one to play with me when I was young and everyone else shunned me, she was the only one to protect me from my father's wrath, she was the first one to really be interested in the things that I had to say, and she was the one to defend me against my own brother. And I didn't even so much as get a letter saying goodbye..."

Then, Kankuro lowered his head, and the thoughts that he had previously been trying to subside began to come back up again, this time choking him from the inside. He gripped his right fist, and Ino let a few moments longer pass, before she knelt down to his level again.

"...I think... I think the reason why she never said goodbye... was because she never planned on leaving you two for good. When she was here, she always talked about eventually being able to go home, to see you two again and help repair the village and the damage that you two had wrought. I remember, on one of Shikadai's birthdays, she even told me that she couldn't wait to be able to show him around Sunagakure once the war was over. She was always planning on going back, but... admittedly, her optimism began to wary in her later years. The war was going on too long. What could have eventually been smoothed over diplomatically was turning into blood feuds and scars that would take generations to heal. And, as Shikadai grew older, she began to fear that he'd be sent on a mission to Sunagakure during the war itself, and that she would never be able to take her child down the main street..."

Ino shook her head.

"...And now she never will. All because of you..."

Ino's words stung Kankuro's heart, and he began to rethink all of his previous positions. Until..

"...Did Temari ever know about Shikamaru's...?"

He didn't need to finish.

"No. He never told her. We tried to cover up the incident as much as we could. A happy home makes a happy husband, and we couldn't afford for Shikamaru to not have a place to go home to. He wanted to be the one to tell her."

Kankuro closed his eyes. Ino closed hers as well, and as memories began to swirl around both of their minds, she found something else to say.

"...And to make matters worse, you still believe that we did the attacks-."

"I never believed that it was your village that committed the attacks that started the war."

His words continued to echo on the walls of the cell long after he had said them. Ino opened her eyes to look at him, and his eyes were staring directly at her. There was no hint of sarcasm, there was no reassurance that he was joking. His words had come out strong. He had to be telling the truth, or at least his own.

And suddenly, an anger erupted in Ino, something that she had never felt nor faced before.

"Then _**why!? **_Why did you put us through ten plus years of hatred, isolation and mockery? The other Great Lands all laugh at us, you know? They think that we're murderers, and that this village deserves whatever yours does to it. Why? If you never believed, if it was never in your heart, then why did you do all of this? And why did you ruin your sister's life?"

There was a long pause, before Kankuro sucked in some of the wind.

"..."

He could say nothing. Ino grit her teeth, and then hastily made her way out of the jail cell, slamming the door behind her. Once she was away from him, she leaned against one of the walls in the hallway, and looked up to the ceiling.

_... I don't know if you're onto anything, Sai, honey. But... you're right. Kankuro... is a man._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Inside his cell and all alone, Kankuro couldn't help but hold himself tightly.

The words that she had said towards him continued to haunt him since long after she had left, and now he was left with nothing but her words, some food, and a silver plate. He could feel himself falling, oddly enough. Falling and failing everyone and everywhere.

It was unbearable. His eyes turned to his plate of food, and for moments, he considered bashing his head with it, and finally giving himself the death he knew he deserved...

But he didn't. He had already ruined so many lives. Suicide would be too good for him.

He deserved so much worse.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once morning came, Gaara began to make all the necessary preparations.

After getting dressed, kissing Matsuri for strength, calling a quick Council meeting, and notifying Shiori to get her blessing, he was ready to start the plan suggested to him by his lover. He stood in an large, hollow room, it's walls being caked with sand, and a large, wide-screen monitor along the wall that he faced. The monitor took up the whole wall, and Gaara felt dwarfed by it's size. He looked to his rights and lefts and out the window, to confirm the time of day, and then looked back to the large, ornate clock that hung behind him on the wall above the exit. It was early in the morning, 7:00am, and personally, he began to doubt if anyone was even awake to answer his call. His council members had assured him that, for someone of his calibre, he was likely not to be ignored.

He began to pace back and forth. He was completely alone in the large room now, but despite all of this, he still felt unprepared to begin the call. Within a moments notice, the screen in front of him would turn on and begin the call, and he while he himself was ready, he still needed to wait for a particular someone to be brought into the room. So, restlessly, he waited.

Until they came.

The double doors to the room opened, and three Sand shinobi appeared in the doorway. Gaara looked up at them with tired eyes, and then motioned for them to enter the room. The three moved in, and Gaara immediately remembered that the three had also been present throughout all of his torture sessions with Shikamaru.

Upon remembering that he existed...

"Wait." Gaara raised a single hand up.

"Someone needs to retrieve Nara."

Gaara's voice was cold and unintentionally harsh. The three guards left him again, this time heading down the stairs of the complex towards Shikamaru's cell. Meanwhile, Gaara moved himself forwards, and then sat himself down on the floor in front of the giant monitor, forgoing his throne near the middle of the room, and the plastic chair that was in the middle of the room. Once he was on the floor, he idly looked up through his Kage hat veil, and up at the blank screen.

...Was he ready to face Naruto again? 

The last time he had done so was so long ago. And now, arguably much more was at stake. He needed to be able to act well, and show the man that he was serious. He needed to be able to stand strong and tall, giving a great example of shinobi courage to the guards that were no doubt watching his very being as he though. He needed to be able to put on a great performance, one so convincing that the audience would return for more.

Gaara sighed, and then let himself laugh shallowly. It had been nearly a year since his brother had died, and yet he couldn't help but start to still think the way he once did. He let himself reminisce for a while longer, before standing himself up, and motioning to the man behind a glass at the top of the room behind him to turn on the monitor and begin the call.

It was time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikaku held his adult son in his arms as if he was still a baby. And, like those days, Shikamaru could barely take in a breath on his own.

After months of torture, there was barely anything left of the man. The bones that held his body together were clearly visible, and his skin was pasty and sickly. His once proud black mane was now just a series of weak hairs, and the beard on his chin had grown to an almost barbaric level. His lips were cracked and dry, and his mouth hung just open, to allow whatever easy air that was around him to enter his lungs. His eyes were closed, his hands were inactive and stiff, and his legs were lazily sprawled out on his body.

He made no noise. The pain he felt was excruciating, and yet he couldn't force himself the energy to scream.

Instead, he had to focus all of his strength on his slow, weak breathes, all while he felt his father's hand try to soothe his dying body.

It had been like this for a long time now, but Shikamaru couldn't work his mind to remember. He hadn't seen Gaara in months, and the other interrogators stopped coming for him two weeks ago. The man who gave him food every day had stopped coming once the old food in his cell began to pile up, and the rats and flies gave the entire dungeon a putrid smell. If the man wasn't eating the food, he wasn't going to waste his time. Every now and then, a guard would come and inject him with a serum, then quickly leave as soon as they had appeared. But the last time he had seen someone like that... he couldn't remember when.

Now, Shikamaru was truly alone... except for his father, who was definitely there.

"Shikamaru, shh... it's fine. Rest. Rest and... let go... if you must..."

Shikamaru's mind was so damaged that he could barely register what he was saying. The hold that his father was giving him was similarly hard to detect, and he could almost feel the rest of his senses shutting down. It would only be a matter of time now. Or... no. It would only be a matter of time now. It was almost over. Everything.

Shikamaru Nara, the Great Stag, the Butcher, the leader of Konohagakure's Nara Clan. Father to Shikadai Nara, husband to Temari Nara. And here he would die, in the dungeons of the 5th Kazekage. Utterly defeated, emaciated, and having completely transformed into a corpse.

Finally, the fact that his father had spoken to him got to Shikamaru's head, and he decided to at least say something in return.

"..."

_... Words... I... I cannot..._

"I understand. Please, try to communicate the best you can."

A longer period of inactivity occurred, this time lasting minutes of the man being utterly frozen, both in body and in mind. Once he recognized it, he began to weakly flap his lips again.

"..."

_...Tem...Temari... _

Shikaku looked down at his son, and Shikamaru opened his eye to see a familiar look of worry and disappointment on his face. But, this time the concoction was different.

It was mixed with regret.

"Son, she's not here. But where you're going... might be going... she'll be there. You'll see her again."

Shikamaru gave his father a dead stare, and this time Shikaku had to look away. Each action yielded a longer processing time. His superior intellect was long gone, but now he could barely be an adult man. There was no future for him, and he knew it. One didn't go from being a top strategist to having to rely on others to live.

When Shikamaru finished processing, he flinched harshly, and his lips moved again.

"..."

_...Shikadai...?_

Shikaku shook his head.

"It'll take much longer for you to see him again, but he's in good hands now. He's surrounded by others who will take care of him and love him to make up for the loss of his parents. He'll grow up and make you proud one day... as you did."

The pause was long.

"..."

_... Can't... it's hard to think... troublesome..._

_ "_Indeed. But please... let go. It's the only option left for you other than more pain.."

Shikaku paused his stroking, and then gripped his fist.

"Thank God your mother isn't here to see this."

A long pause.

"..."

_Mom... I... Love her tell her... sorry-._

"It's fine. You can't blame sickness on a man. And... soon you'll see her again. You can tell her then."

The pause was very long.

"..."

"You don't have to move your lips. I know it hurts you."

There was another pause, and by now the silence was deafening.

_...Can I... ask you something...?_

"Of course."

The pause was a bit shorter than time.

_... In the box... you told me to open... years ago... wedding ring... there was only a... wedding ring. Yours? Why... I don't know...?_

With this, Shikaku leaned back against the back of the cell, all the while making sure that he wasn't harming Shikamaru with his actions. He looked to the ceiling above, before letting a small sigh come from his lips.

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"

He knew that by asking another question, he was opening himself up for another long pause, but this time he was prepared for it. When Shikamaru spoke to him again, he was ready.

_ ...I don't remember. I don't know anything anymore..._

"Love, my boy. My wedding ring was one of my most prized possessions, because it reminded me of the extra steps I took with your mother. It was the greatest bond I ever made, and because of that, I wanted to make sure that my _'proof' _was safe. And... it was a symbol. Even if I did fuck up and get myself killed out there, which I eventually did, I had others in this world who loved me so much that they would help me continue my will beyond the grave. Others in this world who, even once my bones were picked dry by the ravens, would protect the people I loved the most. Others in this world who would feel my love and care from beyond the grave. Because it's through those bonds son, that your life finds new meaning. Of course, if your Mom ever realized how sentimental I was about the whole thing... well you get the idea..."

The old man began to blush, but his son couldn't give a proper response. He had spoken for a while, and he was still processing the information in his head.

He did this, as Shikaku began to hear foreign footsteps come towards the cell.

He protectively grasped his son's body, and pulled it towards him. He couldn't let his son go without preparation.

"...Even if this is the last time you see me, Shikamaru, you make sure you remember my words. Remember Baki's words. Remember Asuma's words. Remember _Temari's words. _They're... good things to live by."

Shikamaru was still looking up him with a blank eye, seemingly not catching onto the armed shinobi that had just opened his cell door, and were slowly walking towards his corpse of a body. One of them knelt to check his pulse, and upon still feeling it, he motioned to the other guards to begin to pick him up. Shikaku held onto his son for as long as he could, before the guards slowly surrounded his son's body, and slowly began to lift him into the air. Shikaku closed his eyes, and forced himself to look away as his body faded away. Then, it was just Shikamaru.

And he finally realized what was happening with him.

_...Oh... that's what it mean... okay... I... no... wha- No. No... please... no please don't... please leave me alone leave me the fuck alone!? Dad?! Dad!?_

"..."

His mouth opened, but nothing came out again. All three guards looked at him with sadness in their eyes, and slowly began to transfer him to the room with Gaara.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The moment that Naruto saw Gaara's face on the monitor, he felt the hangover from the day before leave him instantly, and the empty feeling was soon filled with anticipation and fear.

After all, it had been years since Naruto and him had spoken.

The man he was viewing was standing by himself next to an empty, plain wooden chair, and the room that he was in was plain as anything. Standing behind him, he could see multiple shinobi standing with their hands behind their back, as if they were standing in salute of their Kazekage. Gaara himself was looking into the camera that connected the two of them rather awkwardly, until his teal eyes finally focused on Naruto's, and his brows brought themselves together. He took a deep breath, before he said the first words in the call.

"Hello, Uzumaki."

_Not even using my name._

Naruto nearly shook. From the way the man's words seemed to crawl off of his tongue, he could tell that whatever work he had done with him in the past 26 years had basically gone to waste. He wasn't attacking his own village anymore, but the man had reverted back into a weapon, completely emotionless and stern.

He struggled to find a way to answer the man, and beside him, he heard Sasuke stir. While Naruto was sitting down in a similar room to Gaara's, very large but plain, with a giant monitor for conference calls, Sasuke was standing beside him, his eyes harrowed over with tiredness. He had awoken very recently, Naruto requested that he be in the same room as him during the call. He knew that the real reason was that his friend was still partially in a drunken stupor, however.

He answered the Kazekage for him.

"Gaara of the Sandstorm. Why have you contacted us so directly, and this early? Have you come to surrender?"

Gaara shook his head slowly, his eyes leaving Naruto's and turning to Sasuke's. Unlike his friend, the look on Sasuke's face was more practical and authoritative, and the wind carried his voice with practised ease.

"No. In fact, it is _your _village that is going to surrender today."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but he was still slow to actually speak words. Gaara's presence was helping his drunkenness, but his vision still swam like water. Sasuke took another good look at him, and then shook his head, feeling his anger rising. The man on the other side of the war was here, and his friend couldn't even be helped to pretend to pay attention.

He looked back to Gaara, and kept a scowl on his face.

"And why is that?"

Gaara curved his face.

"Because I have something that will make you agree to peace."

"_You didn't have to wait this long. _The Hidden Leaf village has always been willing to settle this war in a White Peace-."

"That is not what I mean by peace. You remember our previously agreed upon surrender terms, yes?"

"Of course. You wanted for -."

"You are not the Hokage, Uchiha. Please allow _Naruto _to speak."

Upon the mention of his name, Naruto slowly lifted his head. Gaara's lithe figure swarm in his eyes, and his words took a while to reach him. Once they did, he spoke, his drunkenness slowly leaving him as his words left his mouth.

"...You... _hic... _wanted three Hyuuga dead... of your... your choosing. Seven members of the... no, you changed that to fourteen after Sh-."

Gaara gripped his fists, his face and mood both souring.

"You _INSULT _me with your liquor-laden voice, Hokage! I wanted three Hyuuga dead of my choosing, I wanted _fourteen _Nara dead of my choosing. I wanted a dead Uchiha, I wanted three murdered Akimichi, and I wanted to occupy your village and annex it as part of the Lands of Wind. Do not forget my terms again, for you will be agreeing to them soon."

Naruto sucked in a deep breath. He began to feel himself fall forwards, before Sasuke hastily pushed him back straight onto his chair. Naruto hiccoughed again, and then slowly stood up, to try and show that he was stronger than Gaara predicted.

"And what makes you think that we'll agree to that? Dammit Gaara, listen to what you're demanding, and what you've _been _demanding of us! You want us to destabilize our major clans, and then let you rule over us and pretty much decimate what our village stands for! Why would we ever agree to that?"

Gaara rotated his shoulders, and then let out a slight, sick grin.

"As I mentioned earlier, I have something, no, _someone, _that will make you agree to my demands."

Both Naruto and Sasuke kept silent. On the call, they could see the door behind Gaara open, and slowly they both watched as a man was brought to the chair that was standing beside, and placed harshly down on it. The three guards that carried him then backed away, and the two of them were allowed to view the man who was now sitting awkwardly on the chair in front of them unobstructed. The man was frail, black haired and clearly weak, once they had set him down, the guards had to make multiple alterations to make sure that he didn't fall forwards or to his sides. His messy hair and beard obstructed his face, but the two of them could see multiple scars all over his chest, nicked and intertwined with his very visible bones. He wore nothing but a cloth to cover the nudity of his upper legs, and his hands were laid in his lap by the guards. The man made no moves of his own will, and hung his head at the will of the elements around him.

Naruto grit his teeth, disgusted at the display in front of him. The man looked like he would die on the chair in front of them as the two watched.

On the other side of the monitor, Gaara kept his self assured look for a few moments longer, before he realized that the state that his prisoner was in was making it impossible for the men on the other side of the call to even distinguish who he was. So, he reached out for a bunch of the man's hair, and then tugged his head back, causing his hair to fall backwards and away from his face.

And that's when he heard gasps from the other end of the call.

"...Shikamaru...? Oh my... Oh my _**God...**_"

Shikamaru's lonely eye struggled to look up and focus at the two men on the other side of the screen, and his eye rested on them for a while, his mind still trying to understand what had happened to him. His face was a blank slate, but the heavy scarring on it, along with his missing ear, told Sasuke and Naruto all that they needed to know. Both of their eyes widened, and their brows raised to the tops of their heads, faces utterly mowed over with shock and horror at what had become of their old friend.

The air was quiet for a few moments of reflection, before Sasuke gripped both of his fists.

"_**What the FUCK did you do to him?!"**_

__His voice was a harsh shout, perhaps the harshest thing he had ever screamed. Gaara could almost feel the anger from his side of the monitor, but nonetheless kept his stance strong, and his voice clear.

"Everything that has happened to Shikamaru Nara is a direct result of his own actions. But... no. Perhaps a small part of it is a result of what **you **two have done as well."

"How is this warranted at all Gaara?! You explain yourself right now-."

"_**Oh I shall explain myself, you putrid snakes! You explain to me how the HELL you kept my sister from me for TEN goddam years! You could not have even allowed her to visit!? A simple call!? A simple notification that she was still alive?! Do you know how many nights I stayed up, deeply worried and concerned to her whereabouts!? All to know that you two, no, you THREE fucks had been hiding her, brainwashing her and TWISTING her mind against me?!"**_

__Gaara's sudden change of tone seemed to frighten some of the men behind him, and they shivered in fear. Meanwhile, the sand behind Gaara began to swirl as it usually did, and Gaara pointed a finger sideways at Shikamaru's deathly form, his eyes darkening at the two comrades on the other end.

_**"You BOTH look at me as if I am a monster, but am I really worse than you two!? Than HIM!? 'How is this warranted' YOU ASK!? HOW WAS WEEPING SANDS WARRANTED!? HOW THE HELL WAS THAT ALLOWED?! ALL THOSE DEAD CHILDREN, ALL THOSE MASSACRED AND BUTCHERED FUCKING PEOPLE?! ALL FOR WHAT!? FOR WHAT?! FOR BARELY A DAMN THING! NOT TO MENTION ALL OF THE OTHER LIVES THAT THIS BUTCHER HAS TAKEN! SO TELL ME, WERE MY ACTIONS TRULY NOT WARRANTED!? OR ARE YOU JUST A BUNCH OF FUCKING HYPOCRITES!? TELL ME!"**_

__At the end of his rant, Gaara took a deep breath in, and awaited his answer. Both Naruto and Sasuke turned away from him for a moment, caught in their own web. Shikamaru finally caught on to what had happened to him, and his mouth ever so weakly opened.

"...Naruto...? Sasuke...?"

His voice had been so small and weak, but both of them turned themselves back to their old friend, and saw his hopeless face. Gaara did as well, and his eyes looked upon the still living man with a death-wishing glare. As the rest of the conversation came to him, Shikamaru's blood tears returned, and the words that Gaara had screamed began to swirl around in his mind.

"...Sorry...sorry... Ga...Gaara...sorry-."

_**"DO YOU THINK I GIVE A FUCK!?"**_

_** "Enough Gaara!**_ Speak your piece and let us end this fucking meeting!"

As Sasuke and Gaara sparred, all Naruto could do was stare at Shikamaru. Silently, the years that he had spent with him slowly came back to him, and he lamented quietly, remembering Shikamaru the boy, Shikamaru the teenager, Shikamaru the man, Shikamaru the husband, Shikamaru the father, Shikamaru the Butcher. And soon, Shikamaru the Dead.

He reached out a hand in front of him, as if he was trying to touch the man who was hundreds of kilometres away. He had been right. Shikamaru _was _alive. For a few moments more, perhaps. Before his wounds would finally take him away from this world-

No. What was he thinking. That wasn't him.

"My piece?! My piece is simple. You surrender to me, right _**fucking **_now..."

Naruto quietly looked away from his friend, and looked up at the men in the booth above him. He made a few signals with his hands, before the men in that booth nodded, and some of them left the room.

"You surrender to me, and then let my forces overtake your village. Or else I will _**kill the Butcher, right here in front of you!"**_

__The true purpose for the guards in the room with him were revealed, and Gaara's sand slowly began to make it's way towards Shikamaru's body. Both Naruto and Sasuke stood at attention, and Sasuke's eyes were especially murderous in response, yet Naruto's took a different turn. His eyes were more horrified. He couldn't believe it. He could remember the days that it was Shikamaru the boy, Naruto the boy, and Gaara the boy. They hung out together, they drunk. They had fun.

Now, whatever man Gaara once was... he was gone. Naruto couldn't see him. And he was sure that Shikamaru could barely see anything.

But, the time for reflection was soon over. Gaara had stopped battling Sasuke with his gaze, and turned to Naruto, knowing that he was much weaker than his teammate at this. Naruto took a deep breath. He was the Hokage, and he had to make a decision.

There was already one in his mind.

"...Gaara. You're not going to kill Shikamaru."

Gaara's eyes widened.

"_**And why the Hell not!? That was not an answer that I wanted. You tell me, yes or no, will you WILLINGLY surrender!? Because if you do not, the Butcher dies, and tomorrow I march towards your village and I take your lying, backstabbing motherfucking head-."**_

__And then the doors behind Naruto and Sasuke opened suddenly. Sasuke swung his head around to see who it was. But the person moved so quick that he wasn't able to find out who it was until she was in front of him, and until she had placed someone into the seat where Naruto once sat. It was Ino. Dressed in whatever shinobi uniform that she could have found early in the morning when she had begun to work.

And the man in the chair was Kankuro of the Black Sands.

She didn't need to chain him to the chair, and instead moved away from him. She then looked towards the screen in front of them, and saw both Gaara and Shikamaru. Upon seeing her old teammate, she nearly fell to her knees in praise and disgust at his condition, but, knowing how important a strong appearance was to an enemy, she instead settled to look at her friend with worried eyes.

"...Shikamaru...fuck. What did they do to you...?"

Shikamaru's eye slowly turned to hers, and his blank stare continued, him having trouble still with figuring out his surroundings and processing information. After a few seconds of silence, Gaara narrowed his eyes at the man on the chair, and Kankuro quickly roused himself. His brother studied his body, seeing barely any scars on his chest, and the only thing out of place for him being his long, brown hair and thick bushy beard. But once Kankuro and his eyes met...

"...How's it going, bro?"

He allowed himself to smile at his brother, despite his fear of his current appearance. He truly looked like he did way back when. But, once his eyes saw and recognized Shikamaru.

"...Ah Hell. And you caught the Butcher too."

Sasuke quickly hit Kankuro to the back of his head, the blow showing a red mark around where the Uchiha's hands had made contact. Meanwhile, as Ino doted on her old friend, kneeling down to try and see him better, Naruto sucked a breath in, and motioned to his Kankuro.

"...If you kill Shikamaru, you'll never see your brother in Sunagakure again. But... if you free Shikamaru to us, you can have him back."

Sasuke's eyes darted to Naruto's, and quickly his eyes widened in shock.

"...Naruto, what are you-."

The 7th Hokage raised a single hand, and Sasuke stayed quiet. Meanwhile, on the other side of the monitor, Gaara had fallen completely silent, his attention focused exclusively on his brother. The man was alive. The man was _healthy. _He wasn't the only one of his family alive. If... there was so much to tell Shiori, so much to tell Okuni. Once the man came back, there was so much to show him, there was so much...

His brother was alive. A blessing, a three turned one turned two. But, as the two looked at one another, Kankuro's eyes narrowed, and his face slowly turned into a frown.

"...If that's the deal, don't take it. Listen, I've been here for a damn near year. Everyone at home already thinks I'm dead. And if you give me up...you'll lose Nara. Don't lose Nara. _**Kill that motherfucker. **_Then push. You don't need me back. You _push, _and you end this shit."

Gaara's face said a million words, but Kankuro's said a trillion more. It was impossible for him to understand his brother. He had a chance to... no. Shiori needed a husband. Okuni needed a father. All children needed one, the both of them just needed to look at their own families to tell a cautionary tale of a hands-off or missing parent.

And yet...

Naruto took a deep breath, and then looked around the room he was in, and the one that he saw on the other side of the monitor. Each member of the audience had a purpose, had an action. Ino and Sasuke looked upon Shikamaru with pained and displeased eyes, Gaara and Kankuro locked eyes with one another, two brothers reunited temporarily, and Naruto looked at the Kazekage.

He took a deep breath. Gridlock. In his chair, Shikamaru finally caught on.

"...Ino...too... tooo late... Shikadai..."

Naruto could feel tears sting his eyes as he watched Shikamaru's pained attempts to try and speak to them. If they had him back, they would have all the time in the world to help him, to try and heal him, to reunite him with his friends, clan and family.

But they would also be letting Gaara's Second in Command loose.

"...Gaara. I'm giving you until 9pm today to give me an answer. Until then, we will not harm a hair on Kankuro's head, and you better do the same for Shikamaru. Or else, you'll never see your brother again."

Naruto snapped his fingers on Gaara's blank and surprised face, and soon both him and Shikamaru faded from view. Now, he room that the 4 stood in was quiet, and Naruto could only lower his head.

"...Gaara... why would you do this-."

"Naruto for _**fucks sake**_."

As fast as the speed of light, Sasuke had pushed his friend into a wall. Both Ino and Kankuro watched them, and Ino herself moved forwards towards them.

"Cut it o-."

"Grow the fuck up, will you Naruto!? Can't you see? Gaara's fucking gone! Look at what he did to our friend, look at what he's been doing to our people! And your response to this is to still weep in the corner like a little _**bitch?!**_"

"What the hell do you want me to do? You want me to be-."

"_**I want you to be a fucking HOKAGE. That's all anyone here wants you to do! That's what YOU wanted to be?! You remember that!? You figure this out, Naruto. 'Cause Kakashi wasn't fucking around! The Council wants you OUT! Now wake the fuck up, and realize the facts! We have until the end of the day to decide how we deal with Gaara!"**_

__Naruto didn't move, and instead let Sasuke scream into his face. Ino found herself frozen, and even the usually snarky Kankuro was a mute during their discussion. Then, Sasuke let Naruto fall onto the ground, letting go of his grip, and then turned his back on his friend, moving towards the exit of the room. Before he left, his voice entered the air once again.

_**"...I'm shocked at what Gaara's become again too. But being shocked isn't going to save our village."**_

__The door's slam sounded like an earthquake. Ino looked back to Naruto to see that he was still on the floor against the wall, his head in his hands.

The 7th Hokage was crying. His dream was dying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Thanks a lot for reading this double chapter! Since it was so long, I'm probably going to have to really delay the next update. For now, __**look forwards to a new chapter anywhere from April 15**__**th**__**-24**__**th**__** but also please remember to see my profile for detailed and more up to date notices.**__ Thank you for your patience, I hope you loved this chapter as much as I loved writing it, and please,__** please please try your best to review. **__This was a heavy chapter, and I want to know your opinions on it._

_ NOTE: By the next update, I'm going to change this story's rating to M, just because I think some of the torture scenes are a little too extreme for the T rating._


	48. The Remains

_AN: _ _So this chapter is a deep one. I don't really have much to say in advance other than my usual thank you for readings, but all I have to say is that I've finally begun to address one of my earlier complaints. You'll see. Especially at the end. The stakes are rising to astronomical levels, lol._

_**I Do Not Own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"...We should let him die."

Suddenly, Hanabi Hyuuga of the Hyuuga clan felt as if a thousand eyes had descended upon her. By the time she had opened her eyes and looked up again, she could see the others looking at her with varying attitudes and feelings. Choji of the Akimichi clan looked at her with wide and horrified eyes, the wrinkles on his face contorting to make him look near mad. Shino of the Aburame clan had his shades on, but his agape mouth revealed his shock. Kiba of the Inuzuka clan narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't say a word.

Shortly after, he could hear Ino of the Yamanaka express them.

"What the _**Hell **_are you saying?"

Hanabi's cold demeanour didn't change in the slightest, and she spent a few moments simply looking around room that she was in, taking in the cold silence that Ino's words had left. All around the room she could see the leaders and members of Konohagakure's inner council, mainly comprising of the leaders of each of the shinobi clans, as well as some noted members of each clan, heirs, and other important members of the government. They were all seated around a central low-lying table on rather comfortable cushions, and at the head of the rectangle that they formed sat Naruto Uzumaki, flanked on one side by his wife Hinata, and on the other side by Sasuke, and then Sakura, of the Uchiha clan. While the two Uchiha were looking at Hanabi with similarly expressive eyes, Naruto's head was down, and had been down since the beginning of the meeting. Hinata's eyes were on her younger sister, but her voice didn't join the fray.

Finally, Hanabi found more strength, and continued her line of thinking.

"You heard me clearly, Ino. And you _heard _and _saw _Lord Shikamaru's position. If I said that he was not well, then I would be understating his condition considerably. At this point... he might not even survive _this _night, let alone the rest of the nights that we'd need to bring him home."

Her words carried a tinge of sadness on every breath. Ino studied her face for moments longer, before turning around in the room and seeing the sway of the rest of the audience. A few of them still looked angry at her, but, upon hearing her reasoning, a few of them had returned to their normal expressions. And because of this, she was forced to try and understand her reasoning.

Hanabi wasn't lying. The final image that she had seen of her old friend was harrowing and haunting, and it hadn't left her mind yet. His beaten and malnourished body, his missing eye and ear, his stringy and messy hair. But, his actions had spoken to her even louder. There was no life left in his remaining eye, his chest had barely contracted and expanded with his need for air, his focus barely stayed on her.

_"...Ino... too... too late... Shikadai."_

She gripped her fists, but kept silent for a few moments longer. She couldn't leave him there. Not after all the two of them had been through.

She lifted her gaze to look towards the man who was sitting as the Nara representative. Saburo looked tired, and she had seldom seen the man like that. While every other clan had come with another representative, the clan leader and the heir or the clan leader and his or her spouse, he had come alone. She knew that it was less out of necessity than it was out of care, she had doubts that the boy was old enough or mature enough to sit through a meeting where a bunch of people debated on rescuing his father. However, it was clear that him having to take all of the information in by himself was affecting his mood and mannerisms, as the man was barely awake enough to sit up straight on his cushion.

She normally would have chastised him for his laziness, but the situation wasn't the time. Eventually, she heard a stirring from beside her, and turned to see that Shino Aburame had found the courage to continue the situation. For this formal occasion, both his eyes and his mouth were clearly visible, and they helped convey the dark emotion that he helped convey with his voice. She had been watching him throughout the meeting. He had been silent, making his own conclusions.

And now it was time to share them.

"... Forgive me, but I feel that I have to agree with Lady Hanabi's assessment. A thing that she forgot to mention... do any of you mind if I say it? For us to get Shikamaru back, we will need to give up Kankuro, who, compared to him, is sound of mind and able bodied."

After Shino finished speaking, Ino heard a harsh cough.

Ino turned her head towards the next voice, and saw that it came from Kiba Inuzuka, who was sitting on the other side of the room. While his sister, Hana, was the true leader of their clan, she never seemed to bother him about speaking his mind. It was always assumed that they had the same opinion anyways.

"I gotta say, you two should be ashamed of yourselves for giving up so easily-."

"_Kiba_," Sasuke said, his voice a low growl. "This is a formal meeting. We don't do personal attacks here."

Kiba blinked twice, then shrugged, clearly not taking Sasuke's words as a true heed. He then trailed his eyes from Hanabi and Shino, his expression tired yet almost bestial.

"As I was saying, you two should be _embarrassed_.We've been in worse situations than this, and we're too hung up on both of their conditions, and not what they respectively mean to their people. He's not just some random Jonin, he's the leader of his clan. And if he dies then it'll leave a power vacuum in his clan, and in our own high command."

"What else can I say to you, Kiba? There is already a power vacuum in both areas you specified, and we're already working our ways through it-."

"It would just get wore with him being officially dead. And... you know what? You guys don't like emotional pleas, but I'm going to say it anyway-."

"Kiba-." Hana tried to interject him, but she was cut off almost immediately. Most knew better than to try and interrupt Kiba when he was on a roll.

"I personally think that we owe something to the Nara clan to at least _try _to get their leader back. Look at us. We've been at war for ten years, and the only reason why we're still standing is because of him, Sasuke, and Naruto. Not to mention what would happen to Shikadai-."

_"Excuse me, but I think that I can speak most accurately about the young heir."_

All eyes in the room slowly rotated to the new voice, and Saburo took a deep breath once he realized that he had everyone's attention. The man slowly stood himself up straighter on the cushion that he was in but the exhaustion and tiredness in his eyes continued to radiate throughout the room, much to the chagrin that Ino knew that he had. When he continued to speak, his voice wavered in and out of dynamics.

"Shikadai Nara is recovering from his loss _well_. Your assumption that the boy is weakened or depressive is at least outdated, if not false. And, as for your guess of a "power vacuum", there wont be one within the clan. Shikamaru put me in a position to look after hi- _our _people until his son is of age, and that wont be too long from now. When he is of age, there will be a year allotted for transition, and afterwards I'll simply revert to whatever position he puts me in."

"Why don't you let the kid speak for himself? Why isn't he here-."

"I didn't know that you were so _close _to our near-departed leader. But I suppose you were an influence on him. Especially since you were one of the ones who suggested-."

"_**Back off, Saburo. **_And yes, I was close to him. I was close to Temari especially. Drinking buddies, occasional baby-sitter. I stood side by side with Shikamaru in the war hundreds of times! Where were you, Saburo?"

Ino could see both parties begin to get heated, and Kiba's face was slowly turning red. Saburo, on the other hand, was clearly trying his best to keep everything that he was saying as calm as possible, even if he was failing horribly.

"At home, at the war table. _Planning, _while our leader could not. And, as for the whereabouts of Shikadai, some close friend you are. If you knew enough about Shikadai, then why would you want him to be _here _listening to the elders and adults of his village debate over if they should let his _father die_?"

Kiba narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything more, Hana raised a hand up. He held his tongue, and she turned towards Saburo and bowed her head.

"I see. My apologies, sometimes my little brother speaks too out of hand."

Ino found herself smirking to herself, so slightly that her lips barely moved. All of these formalities were bullshit, and she knew it. On the street or in the halls, the two wouldn't need or be using any of this fluff. When Saburo continued to speak, whatever little happiness she had gained faded away as fast as it had came, and his creeping voice returned.

"As for the fate of Shikamaru... I believe that we are all missing a very key component to the debate, which is _if he even wants to return. _It's been nearly a year since he's went missing, and when he left he was... a wreck is the kindest term for it. A _recovering _wreck, but still a ruin nonetheless. The last conversation he had with me was about the importance of keeping this village safe, for me to keep his _son _safe particularly, no matter the cost. The way that Sasuke, Ino, and Naruto described him earlier gives me the impression that..."

Slowly, Saburo's voice faded away, and the look in his eyes slowly began to suck the life out of him. He was making his clan look bad. He thought this, and he knew this. So he turned his eyes towards Ino, and she shivered once she realized that all of his attention was on her.

"...Lady Yamanaka. From what you saw in that room on this morning, do you think that Shikamaru's life can be saved?"

Ino kept her eyes on him, but her mind began to writhe and rumble. The image of Shikamaru's battered body was back in her mind, as well as his single, isolated eye. His shallow breathes. His _voice_.

_...__Fuck it._

She closed her eyes.

"...We need to get him back nonetheless." She couldn't give him a straight answer, or else she would damn her friend forever.

Saburo nodded, and then leaned back. Soon, another voice entered the admittedly open conversation.

"... But can we risk it?"

She turned her head to see that it had been Sasuke who had spoken.

"As it was said earlier, we would have to give up Kankuro."

Ino took a gulp in.

"We've gotten enough information out of him for it to be dangerous to his village, and rehabilitation would take him out of the equation for a long while."

"If we can save Shikamaru, then he would require rehabilitation as well, and his would have to be much, much longer and more thorough than Kankuro's. And unlike his, he might not make it."

Ino grit her teeth.

"It's worth it. If we can bring him back, then would know what strategies that would be best to use with our new information. He'd return to his clan, and our defences could be looked over and fixed. And... you already know that he's an integral part of not one, but three clans. If he dies, then there will be a hole there that can never be filled again."

Sasuke's face slowly turned into a frown.

"...I understand what he means to your clans, but I cannot in good faith risk Kankuro being set free on it. Sunagakure calls Shikamaru a monster, but Kankuro could be worse towards us, especially with the loss of his leg. And once the two sand brothers are together again, there's no telling what sort of retribution they'd bring down against us. Especially considering what Temari's ultimate fate turned out to be."

"If we kill Kankuro, then Gaara's wrath will be even worse."

"But then we'll have one vengeful man to deal with, as opposed to two."

"With Shikamaru's help, we could-."

"From what we saw of Shikamaru, I doubt he would be able to recover to help us in time. You were there, Lady Yamanaka. You saw the way he struggled to even say a word, let alone pay attention to what was going on around him. Like I said earlier, he's going to need _extensive _care, and that's even if he can survive the way back here."

Ino didn't respond, and as a response, she watched as Sasuke looked away from her momentarily.

"... That's the truth of it. I'm sure that everyone in this room wants to get Shikamaru back, but it's simply too _dangerous _to do so. Our village is already on the brink of it's end, giving Kankuro back to them would only accelerate the process."

Around the room, Ino could see everyone else go silent. She looked at Naruto and Hinata specifically, and saw that neither of them had roused, and they only offered confused and stressed looks to one another. She looked closely at both of their body languages, and watched as Naruto slowly placed one of his hands into hers, quietly so that no one else would have noticed. She gave the rest of the board members a good look, and saw that what Sasuke had said was true. No one was giddy about Shikamaru's death.

But alas, only Kiba had spoken out in her defence. It seemed that only one party was undecided.

"...Lord Akimichi? What's your take on this?"

Choji flinched, and his eyes turned to Ino. Out of all of the council members located in the chamber, he seemed to be the most affected by the situation. Despite the time of day, his eyes were battered over with wrinkles, and he seemed to almost lean on his wife's body beside him. She couldn't blame him for a moment. Choji and Shikamaru were childhood friends, and he was closer to him than anyone else in the room. Throughout the months that he had been missing, he had been deathly worried. Now that his life was on the line, he was deathly period.

When he spoke, his voice seemed to shiver.

"...I... Ino... I..."

He shook his head slowly.

"...You all know how much I want him back. You all know how much he's integral to our clans, and everything like that. I love him like a brother... But."

Ino raised an eyebrow, and the rest of the room's eyes moved to him. He lowered his head.

"...It's like Saburo said. Does Shikamaru even _want _to come back? Everything that man was about... he was always ready to lay his life on the line for someone else. He was always ready to throw his life away for someone else. And we know the price of setting him free. And he might not even be able to stay alive..."

His voice faded away, and there was a long silence. Both Ino and Kiba softened their gazes on the man, and Sasuke found himself speaking again.

"...Lord Akimichi... what do you think we should do with Lord Nara?"

Choji kept quiet until he felt a nudge to his arm from the woman beside him. Karui looked up at him with stern, yet loving eyes, trying to guide him to an answer. He took a deep breath after a while, and then looked up, facing Sasuke with straight eyes.

"...Shikamaru would have wanted me to let him die."

There was a gasp in the room, but no one was able to figure out who it was. Sasuke nodded, taking in his response, and then he turned to his Hokage, who looked up and down the room quickly.

"...Does anyone else have anything to say?"

From his position on the other end of the room, leaned up against a wall and sitting next to Kurenai and Ibiki. As the former Hokage, he was able to sit at an end of the rectangle that the elders made. And as a former Hokage, he was always given a chance to speak. His eyes tired, he spoke.

"They say that those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

His eyes went to stare at every person who had agreed to let Shikamaru die, and then rested on Choji's. He didn't avert his glance, however. He wasn't a boy anymore, now he was a grown man, a father even. He could take judgement from a Hokage.

Then, suddenly, Kakashi let up, and his eyes went to the ceiling.

"But... perhaps such old sayings need to be updated for the times we live in. That is all, Lord Hokage."

Naruto slowly nodded, and then cleared his throat. Ino looked at where his hand met Hinata's to see that he was shaking ever so slowly.

"Thank you, Lord Hatake. Now, you all know that I ultimately get the final say on things. I will announce my decision tomorrow morning. Until then... this meeting is adjourned. Have a blessed day."

Ino watched as Choji slowly began to scowl. It was clear that it wasn't at Naruto.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The distressed look on Choji's face didn't let up until Lunchtime, when Karui was finally able to confront him about it, however half-heartedly.

"Honey, Lunch is served."

Choji's frown momentarily subsided with the mention of food, and his surroundings became clear to him once again. He was sitting at the head of his kitchen's table, and a quick glance at a clock on his kitchen counter's told him that it was 12 noon. It had been a while since the morning meeting had adjourned, and as per usual, he, Karui and his little Chocho were all gathered to have their lunch.

The only odd thing about it this time was the fact that Choji had just finished condemning his best friend to death. That, and the fact that Shikadai Nara was at the table as well, sitting beside his friend Chocho and impatiently looking at the plate of grilled cheese sandwiches that Karui was holding in her hand.

Choji blinked, and then nodded, pretending that he was still in the moment.

"Right, right. Thanks, sweetie."

Karui gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, and then placed three of the sandwiches onto the plate in front of him, and then moved down her table to give Chocho two, and her and Shikadai one each. For a moment, she herself seemed surprised by the boy's presence, but her memory came back to her as soon as it could. The Akimichi and Yamanaka clans had both always agreed to look after the Nara heir. The day before, Chocho had invited her friend over for a sleepover, and it being the weekend it made sense that he'd still be here. Mirai or Saburo would eventually come to get him soon.

But for now, she didn't need a magnifying glass to know that his presence was eating away at her husband's guilt.

She sat herself down beside him at her place at the table, and then turned to him slightly, trying her best to not be obvious to the two children at the table.

"Don't blame yourself. If that's what he wanted, then you had to let it be said."

Choji raised his thick brows, and then turned to his wife, spending a few moments just looking at her. The woman looked as if she hadn't aged a day since their marriage, while he himself was beginning to look old and tattered, the war affecting him more than her. Or... was that true? She hadn't been able to-.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Both of them turned their heads to the other side of the table to see that it had been Shikadai who had spoken up. Upon hearing her friend's voice, Chocho momentarily stopped stuffing her face full of food to look up as well. Both Karui and Choji received both stares, and Choji struggled to keep a straight face.

"Oh, nothing. Just adult stuff."

Shikadai raised a brow. His parents didn't raise a fool.

"Is it the type of 'adult stuff' that's related to the clans? Is it about the meeting you two went to earlier today...?"

"No, not at all."

Chocho raised a brow.

"What do you guys do at those meetings anyways?" Shikadai turned to her, seeing that she was on the same wavelength that he was on as well.

"Yeah. And this one was a little sudden."

Karui raised an eyebrow at him, leaning back in her chair. Choji began to sweat.

"Ah? And how would you know if this meeting was a little sudden?"

"Oh. Lord Saburo's been teaching me about a lot of that stuff. Usually there's only one mass meeting like that between clans per month. But in this month there's been two so far. Usually, more than one meeting a month happens when an extreme emergency occurs. So, what was the extreme emergency?"

Karui nodded. Her eyes glanced at her husband to try and see if he was well enough to speak again, but he seemed to be trying to ignore the boy in front of them, shoving his mouth full of her food. She looked back at Shikadai.

"We can't tell you what the emergency was about... but we _can _tell you that it's going to be resolved by the end of today."

Shikadai sighed.

"It looks like nobody's going to tell me anything straight to my face-."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing! Thanks for having me over, Uncle Choji, Auntie Karui."

The boy nodded, and the rest of lunch was relatively silent. When it ended, Choji watched as Chocho and Shikadai moved to another room, something about being able to play one of their favourite games in multiplayer mode, and Karui slowly washed the dishes of their dinner. He, on the other hand, simply placed both of his hands onto the table in front of him, and continued to look down. His words from earlier strangled his mind. The requests from his best friend. The look in Ino's eyes when she heard him betray her, betray him.

It was only a matter of time before he felt Karui's touch again.

She had placed both of her hands on his shoulders, and stood behind her husband, beginning to massage both areas softly and slowly. Choji stopped learning forward and sat back in his great chair, letting it become his throne. She hit a spot that caused him to sigh deeply, and once she heard him do so, she sighed herself. Moments passed, and soon their lungs rose and fell with one another's. When she spoke again, he was able to be attentive.

"I should try to contact Omoi again, and see if they can he-."

"**No."**

As soon as she had said those words, Choji's hands went to her's, and removed them from his shoulders. He turned his chair around to hold her hands in hers, and then looked up into her eyes. Her face turned dour. He kept his look on her stern.

"If he couldn't help all the other times, what makes you think he could help now?"

"If not him, then Darui. He's the Raikage now, after all."

"I doubt he'll believe you. He put us under an embargo when the war began. The other villages aren't on our side, thankfully not on Sunagakure's either but they've made it clear that they do not want to get involved." He then paused.

"At least, not until we're carrion for the vultures."

Karui narrowed her eyes at him.

"Then Killer Bee."

Choji raised a brow.

"He hasn't been seen in years. He might not even be alive-."

"I can't just sit here and do nothing. The way this village is being run... even _if _we get Shikamaru back, the village is in shambles. In case anything happens... I think I can at least get them to accept refugees. Our village is in such a state now."

Choji's frown intensified.

"You'd just be wasting your time."

"What else would you have me do then-."

"I don't want you doing _anything. _Just..."

Choji took a deep breath in, and stayed silent for a while. Karui let him stay that way, and then slowly pulled up a chair to sit in front of him, afterwards returning her hands to his. Her husband turned his head to the side.

"...You're only doing this because you think I can't handle things. But I can. I can get through this. It's... fuck... it's what Shikamaru would have wanted, right? And outside help... well we can't use it. We can't rely on it. After he's gone... we're just going to have to move on. That's what he told us to do anyways. Move on and not waste time on his death-."

"Did _he __'_waste time' when Temari died-."

"I don't want to talk about it. I'll be fine. I don't need you to get any backup."

"Choji, we're a family. Let me help you with something for once. Worst case scenario, they don't agree."

"No, worst case scenario they figure that we're weak and _invade us."_

Karui laughed cruelly.

"Do you really think that they'd do that while **I'm **still here? I'm you're assurance that they wont do anything like that."

"We thought that with Temari and Sunagakure too. Now look where she is."

Suddenly, the two of them stood silently, and Karui felt Choji grip her hands tight like a vice. It hurt, her husband was still much, much bigger than she was, but she couldn't say a word in rebellion against his emotions. She knew where it came from. But, now, she struggled to understand how to fix them.

"...I'm not going to let you end up like her."

"I'm _not _going to end up like her."

"You can't just say that-."

"I'm not just saying it, I _mean _it. I promise you that I'm not going to end up like her. You... fuck Choji. You need to stop worrying about this shit. You need to just learn how to... _do _things without worrying about what's going to happen next. I mean, it's _good _to have caution. But one of the biggest reasons why your village is in the rut it's in is because you all have been using too much fucking **caution. **Caution with proving your innocence, fear of angering others, caution with how you fight against embargoes, caution on the battlefield! You can't have this much anxiety when you're fighting a war! You, you _especially, _have to learn to take life for what it is! What happens _happens. _We can't go back in time and change the things we do. We can't be overly cautious with what we do next. We... have to do just do it. If we... if we _fuck up _then we _fuck up, _and in that future we have now we fix them."

There was a loud sound in another room, and the sound of children's laughter. Both parents eyes shifted towards the commotion, and Karui stood up, letting the hold that Choji had on her subside. Instinctively, Choji moved forwards to embrace her again before she left, standing and nearly crushing her within his large arms. He shut his eyes tight, and soon he felt her push back into the hug herself. Their bodies melded for moments longer, the moments turned to minutes, minutes into unknown intervals of time. When he let go of her and pulled her in front of him, he could see tears line her eyes.

"...You're too _nice _Choji. God... you're too _fucking _nice. I love you for it. You're... Always thinking of someone else, always blaming yourself for what happens. But you need to stop it. Change it at least. If you don't change it, you'll regret it. You can be kind and still be strong."

Before he could reach out for her again, she was already heading out of the kitchen. She paused before she was completely gone from the room.

"I'll be trying to contact them again, and I'll explain our situation and ask for an _alliance _and an audience._ Again. _I don't care how many times I have to do it."

When she was finally gone, Choji slumped back into his chair, gripping his fists.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"...I should have been with you."

"No, it would have been been unnecessary."

Matsuri shrugged, and then began to eat the food in front of her. Unlike most couples, Matsuri and Gaara ate their lunch during the late afternoon, and they ate it within a secluded portion of the Kazekage Mansion. The room that they were in had a window that they could use to look over a grand view of Sunagakure, and a single chandelier above their table. It was a small one, suitable for the two of them, and the amount of food that they had to eat was so great that their server had to leave another cart beside them. After a few moments of quiet, Gaara continued his speaking points.

"Uzumaki...Uchiha... how dare they. How dare they threaten my brother at the behest of their little friend-."

"Don't call them that."

Gaara raised his head to see that Matsuri had momentarily paused her meal to speak. His eyes were harsh, and she shivered in recoil. He quickly realized his actions and softened them, then looked away from her. She took a deep breath.

"... All I'm saying is that they were your friends once. It's just creepy how you seem to only be looking at their clans, and not their persons."

"...Fine. Naruto and Sasuke are bastards for doing this."

Matsuri dug into her food again.

"And now Kankuro's life is on the line...again." Her tone lowered, and a pause came between them before Matsuri spoke again.

"Have you told Shiori about this?"

"No. I do not want her to get her hopes up in case we have to let him die."

Matsuri nodded. She then glanced at her lover's untouched plate.

"Eat something, honey. You'll need your strength to be able to figure this one out. I can help, but..."

When her voice trailed off, Gaara finally took some of his food into his mouth, doing so slowly. The man looked tired, and for the time of the day it wasn't a good thing. The black around his eyes seemed to also hold his wrinkles now. He still was wearing his Kazekage robes from earlier.

He had six hours until he had to decide if he was going to let them kill his brother.

"... I think that you should try and save him."

Gaara looked back towards her, some of the meat he was eating still on his tongue. He swallowed.

"Mhm? Why? I want to as well, but... Nara-."

"Well, from what you've been telling me, Naruto's fucked himself over. He's offering to trade you a relatively able bodied man with a sound mind for a... well... just look at what you've done to Shikamaru. He's a mess. If you give him medical attention, there's still no guarantee that he's going to survive the journey back home. "

She then took another bite. During her encounter with Gaara, she was trying her best to stay calm. The last thing that he needed was the added confusion of her sensitivities, and she knew it.

"Not to mention that he's your brother. And, we know how he can positively affect morale."

"The last time I saw my brother, he was missing a leg. How would that _positively _affect our shinobi's morale?"

"Simple, get him a prosthetic one."

Gaara nodded in agreement.

"...But will letting that one eyed son of a bitch be worth it? If we killed Nara-"

"Shikamaru."

"**Dammit woman, does it really matter what I call them?!**"

Matsuri instinctively dropped the fork in her hand and pushed herself away from the table. Gaara seethed in rage for a few moments, before realizing the affects of his actions, and then relaxing his entire body. He leaned back into the chair that he sat in, and then placed a hand to his forehead.

"...I am sorry. It... Matsuri it has just been a... stressful day for me-."

"We've been over this... Gaara."

Cautiously, Matsuri pulled herself back into the table, quietly and quickly. Gaara reached out a hand for her, but she didn't take it, not this time. She shook her head.

"It's important to call them by their names because at the end of the day, they're still... human. Despite all they do-."

"How are they still human after all of this? After all that they have put us through-."

"Have you ever thought of it from their perspective? What have _we _put _them _through?"

"Not enough. Not nearly enough."

"Gaara, **listen** to yourself. You're not sounding like yourself."

Gaara paused.

"...You... you are right. You said it earlier. Ever since he... every since he has come here..."

Gaara slumped back into his chair, all while his hand still stayed holding his head. He didn't have enough time. He needed more time to think this over. He couldn't decide the future of his village, hundreds of thousands of people, within a day.

Maybe that had been another place where Naruto stumped him. He knew that Gaara needed time to think. A lot of time to think.

"...We need to get rid of him. I... I want to get Kankuro back too."

Matsuri looked at him with softening eyes.

"Then you know what you need to do. Tell him your decision. You can still look strong through all of this. This... will make you better."

Then, she gave Gaara a small smile.

"...Besides. This will probably be the best present you could ever give little Okuni."

Upon the mention of his niece, Gaara's face finally broke.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took Naruto until 6:00pm to find the strength to talk to his wife again.

The hangover that he had been experiencing made him decide to avoid her for most of the day. The moment that the morning clan meeting had ended, he had taken off to a misguided, random errand, but in truth he had been trying to find any excuse not to speak to her again. The meeting hadn't went as he was hoping it would. The majority would have his friend die.

The decision was out of their hands, but if he had the chance to... he'd save him. He'd save him a million times over.

He knocked on the door to his own home, having lost his keys sometime in the months before. It was likely that they had been left on a bar stool, or had fallen into a back alley as his own body had done multiple times. He was slouched over, and his Hokage robes hung off his body, almost as weak as his mind was. Moments passed, and the door opened. Naruto nearly fell in, but caught himself quickly enough to prevent himself from doing so. He looked in to see that the one who had answered the door was...

His son, Boruto.

The two stared at one another for a few moments, and the two of them remained quiet. Looking into his son's eyes after months of purposeful neglect brought Naruto into a frame of mind that he didn't enjoy.

The son. The friend. The other son. The wife. The dead one.

"..."

The silence.

Before Boruto could say a word, his father turned around and began to walk away, his footsteps heavy and his back hunched. The boy stood there, getting a good look at his father's back, before he heard another sound from inside.

"Boruto! Who's there?"

It was the voice of his mother. He turned his head in her direction, but when he turned it back towards the outside, his father was gone.

Boruto covered his eyes with both of his hands, and then shut the door closed.

"...Nobody."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The notification for a video call came to them at 9:00pm, directly on the dot.

When Naruto and Gaara saw one another again, both of their eyes were focused and firm. Whatever hangover that Naruto had possessed before was now completely gone, and all that was left was anticipation, anxiety and disappointment. Whatever anger that Gaara possessed had been placed into a chamber at the bottom of his heart, and all that he showed on his face was a dull, bored look. The Kazekage was flanked by a bunch of guards, whilst the Hokage was flanked by both Sakura and Sasuke.

The two parties gave one another blank stares, and the clock's hand ticked to 9:05pm. Gaara took in a deep breath, his teal eyes, the same as his sister's, seemed to illuminate in the darkened room that he was in. He adjusted the crown on his head. When he spoke, it was as if the whole world listened.

"...We accept your offer. We will trade you Shikamaru for Kankuro."

While his body stayed forward, looking towards his enemy with most of his attention, one of Sasuke's eyes moved to Naruto. The ball was in his corner now. He had been there at the morning meeting. He knew what his people wanted. He had the final say.

Naruto parted his lips, and despite his best intentions, his words still dripped with the sin of his previous activities.

"Good. We'll take him off your hands then. We'll meet in the usual location for the exchange, two days from now. You're allowed to bring up to twenty shinobi with you, up to Jonin ran. We will do the same. After the exchange, we will have at least 48 hours of peace to allow us to return home."

Gaara nodded, and his aide behind him seemed to be in agreement. Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment. Naruto had heard what his people had wanted, but of course he decided to go off in his own direction, as he usually did. Usually, that would be a great thing, a show of his wisdom. This time it could ruin his village.

But as his friend and confidant, he had no choice but to support him.

There was a quiet air before Naruto spoke again.

"Good. This talk's over."

Before Naruto could signal to turn off the call, Gaara raised his head.

"One final thing, Uzu- _Naruto._"

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke each raised an eyebrow. Gaara sucked in a breath loudly.

"I have my own guidelines."

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"You aren't the one wi-."

"**Actually, I am. Considering that I do still hold possession of your **_**PRECIOUS**_** Shikamaru's life."**

The three students of Kakashi each shuddered. Now, the ball was back in Gaara's corner.

**"****As I was saying. When I retrieve my brother, there will not be a scratch on him that I had not seen earlier this day. Or else I shall put another one on Shikamaru. If I find out that my brother has more than just a missing leg, I will make sure to take away another one of Shikamaru's limbs. If my brother has a broken back, I shall BREAK Shikamaru's. And if the process of the exchange takes longer than I find suitable, I shall KILL that bastard and take my brother back by FORCE. ****I shall kill him **_**right in front of you.**_**"**

Gaara let the three of them linger in his words for a few moments more, before his lips slowly curled into a smile.

_**"**__**And I will enjoy every scream he makes as a result. Like you told me, you have two days, starting from tomorrow. End call."**_

The screen in front of them closed, and only then did the three of them each let in a gulp. Sakura was the first to turn to Naruto.

"...N-."

"That just means that we have to do this fast," Sasuke interrupted. He looked towards his wife.

"We can't let him get too comfortable. If we move fast then we can still make him feel cornered at the very least."

He then turned to Naruto.

"Naruto? What do you think about this?"

The man's eyes were blank, and his body was shivering in a manner that he had never seen before. His hands twitched, and he was hyperventilating. Both of his former teammates' eyes glossed over with concern and immediate worry.

"Naruto..?"

When Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder, Naruto seemed to be freed from his trance.

"...Get me...You two. You two are coming with me."

"Of course."

"Choji, Ino... Kiba as well. Shino- no. He has to teach. Saburo has to stay... Konohamaru and his crew. Fuck... fuck it I don't know. Kakashi has to stay too... he can be the Hokage in case anything bad happens to me...Hinata... I want Hinata with me as well. I..."

Naruto cringed.

"I haven't seen him like that. I haven't seen him like that in nearly thirty years."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Darui, the 5th Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village, was bored out of his mind.

"...And we were able to catch the culprit with, what do they call it, _gusto, _I must say sir."

And C wasn't making it any better.

It was the middle of the day, and the two were in the Raikage office. The bored man was sitting on a chair in front of a desk, behind him being a large window that showed the downtown core of their village. The more enthusiastic one was standing in front of his desk, dressed in his Jonin attire, and holding a clipboard and pen in his hand, slowly going over the events of the day. Darui was leaning back in his chair, wearing his Kage robes loosely on him. Every piece of his appearance showcased his utter boredom. When his second stopped talking, the Raikage let out a loud yawn.

"You know, I don't think you need to do this with me everyday. Quite frankly, it's boring and it's a waste of my time. I could be at home right now, man. I could be sleeping with now. I could be-."

"Darui!" C snapped, his voice distressed. "How is any of this boring? It's a report that the village is in good shape, it's something that Kage should be proud of-."

"And that's precisely why it's so _boring._"

The lazy man twisted his chair until he was looking out the window behind him, specifically far below him. He watched his civilians run up and down the main street like busy worker ants, and he leaned his chin into his arm.

"This is going to sound horrible, but I wish there was more action."

"You wish that the village was in danger?"

"_No. _I **obviously** don't hope that we get into a war. But... just look at them. Look at all of them."

C made his way to Darui's side of the desk, and then looked down to see where he was staring. He watched the civilians do their daily business for a few moments, and then turned to his Kage and shrugged.

"...And?"

"It's _too perfect. _I mean, you've been reading the reports. There's barely a reason why us to even be here anymore. We're far away from any conflict, our borders haven't been attacked in five years, and the last time it was "under attack" it was petty criminals. Our missions are limp and static. No more S ranks, just 'walk the dog' or 'apprehend this petty purse thief'." He paused.

"This system isn't sustainable the way it is now. And the only alternative to make things 'exciting' is to plunge us into a bullshit war."

C leaned himself up against the desk behind him, and then shrugged.

"I suppose that's just how life's going to be from now on."

"_Unsustainable. _There's barely a need for shinobi anymore."

"There'll always be some need for shinobi."

"I guess. I'm tired. When do they start serving lunch downstairs again?"

"It's not nearly time yet. We still have around three hours."

"Ugh."

"You know, if you're truly bored, how about you take a vacation with the wife?"

"To where? Sunagakure used to be fun, but if I went there it'd be a political statement. Everything's a fucking political statement now. C, want to take my chair-?"

"No, sir."

"Some comrade you are."

"I'm the very best, sir."

Suddenly, the door to their room opened slowly, and they heard the footsteps of someone else walk in. The two of them turned their heads.

And they both rolled their eyes.

"We told you that you have to knock."

Omoi had his cellphone to his ear, and he lifted up a single finger. Usually, C would have scolded him for being rude, but Darui's sluggishness was starting to brush off on him. The man slowly walked towards the front desk, and as he did the two were able to hear one side of his conversation. Omoi's tone was stressed and soft.

"That's bad. That's... really bad. Shit, no I'm not joking around! I know... fuck. Let me just patch you through to him. He'll want to hear this."

When Omoi was in front of the desk, he held out the phone in front of hm, handing it to Darui. C raised a brow.

"Who is it? You know you can't just come in here and hand him a phone as-."

"It's Karui. She's in trouble."

The moment her name was thrown to the air, the two men on the other side of the table raised their eyebrows. Darui took the phone, using more speed and seriousness than he had used for the entire month, and intermediately placed it to his ear. C's face on the other hand narrowed, and his lips turned into a deep scowl.

"Oh, you mean her 'handsome' Konoha hubby can't help her this time?"

"Fuck off," Omoi spat, his tone giving out a warning. Darui got off of his chair to stand in a corner away from his bickering left and right hand men. The two continued without him even getting involved.

"You'd do the same thing if you ever fell in love."

"No, I'd persuade her to move _here_."

"Choji has a clan. Leave her alone."

"I'm just saying, she had a duty here, same as yours and mine. She chose to put that on hold for a family."

"So you're saying that we shouldn't help her-."

"That's not what I'm saying. But we need to give her an ultimatum. Kumogakure Shinobi should stay in Kumogakure, Konohagakure shinobi stay in Konohagakure. That's just how it should be. Fuck all of this 'run off to another village to fall in love' bullshit. If she was here she wouldn't have these problems. She chose to believe their lies, and that's where she made her cake. Now she's got to eat it. I want to help her too, but we ca-."

"_**BOYS. **_Shut up."

The two of them sneered at each other, but then looked towards their Raikage's back, ready to listen to his next word. The man wasn't trembling, but they could tell from the tone in his voice that the conversation had turned serious. What had started with a light, yet formal banter was now serious.

That was until he stopped talking to her.

His eyes widened slowly, and momentarily removed the phone from his ear. He held it in front of him for a few moments, and he stared at it as if it was a person. The room became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

When he placed the phone back to his ear, his two hands were able to hear his conversation clearly.

"...I'm sorry to hear about that. No...No. You don't have to worry, we'd _never _do that to you. That's... fucking **disgusting. **You said... Ok. Let me know when I can speak to him directly. As long as the gains are equal, we'll see what we can do. How long? Fine. We'll get ready. Yes... Hey. You make sure that _**you**_ stay safe, even if no one else can. We miss you, but we should see you soon. Alright. Later."

He clicked the phone off, and then tossed it to Omoi. Once his subordinate caught it, C looked up at him.

"What's going on?"

Harshly, Darui spat to the ground beside him. When he spoke again, there was a new level of revulsion in his voice.

"Kankuro and Gaara killed their sister. One of Konohagakure's key clans is in shambles. Their Hokage is barely keeping shit together, and their village is on the verge of falling."

There was a silence in the room for a long period of time, and both Omoi and C looked at one another, then back towards their Raikage. Darui idly walked towards the window behind his desk, his footsteps now like thunderclaps, and he leaned against it, looking down towards the civilians below him. As he began to think, C raised his voice again.

"You're not thinking... we can accept non-combat ready civilians, but have we forgotten what they did to start the war? Lord Nara's loss is great, but have we forgotten our reports of what _he _did? Are we forgetting-."

"Look up at your headband, C."

The man followed direction.

"... I don't get-."

"You know what that headband makes you, me, Omoi and Karui?"

There was a long pause. Omoi answered before C did.

"...Siblings. It makes us like... one big family, right?"

The Raikage nodded.

_** "And you don't butcher your family members, no matter how far they run from you."**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Alright guys, I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed that chapter! It was a bit longer than my usual ones, but not as long as the last one, lol. I'll try to update at least twice in May and June (those two months are really, really busy for me), and then more often during July and August. But we'll see. So far, my new deadline is May 14th. Thank you all for reading so far! Once again, please read and review, especially for this chapter! And don't' worry, I can promise you that C, Darui and Omoi are going to be in this more often soon._


	49. The Stag's Last Trot

_AN: I don't have a lot to say here other than this is going to be a hardcore chapter. I hope you all enjoy, and sorry for the delay. I didn't get a chance to revise this chapter before I uploaded it, so if by Wednesday you see another "update", that's just me making small spelling/grammarical changes. For now, take a look at "The Stag's Last Trot"!_

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Shikamaru's eye opened slowly, and once it did he was surprised that he could see anything in front of him at all.

It was dark, but it was much brighter than his cell, and he could see the moonlight embrace him. His view in front of him was no longer a sand-based room, but instead a forest camp at night. He could see a moderate number of tents in front of him, nestled on the ground and some of them being covered with an assortment of leaves from the trees above. He himself was situated on the cool autumn's grass, and from what he could see, he was completely alone. Idly, he slowly tried to raise a hand-.

Oh.

He felt that they were bound, and tied behind his back. He slowly turned his last remaining eye to look behind him, and he saw that he was leaning up against a tree. Confused, he tried to move his hand again, before losing the strength that he had, and leaning forwards, hanging his head.

He tried to understand a reason why he would be in this situation, and his mind slowly returned to him as a result. The memory of the days before. Seeing Naruto, Sasuke and Ino again. Then, seeing Kankuro again. Their words slowly came to him in a blur. Something about trading one for the other...

Shikamaru heard a loud, gulping sound, and then turned his head to look in it's direction. He began to notice a small cord that had been stuck into his right arm, and followed the cable until it reached it's destination; a small, chained bag full of red substance. Blood. Slowly, his mind walked around the truth of it, and he found that the bag of blood might have been one of the few things keeping him awake. Perhaps one of the few things keeping him alive.

And then, he realized why he was in the forest. It was possible that Gaara was planning on trading him to get his brother back.

..._Naru...idiot..._

It was a bad trade, no matter who was looking at it, or how it was looked at. Naruto had just agreed to trade a seemingly healthy man for one that was on the brink of death. Would he even be able to get back home without slipping off into the darkness? There was a great chance that he wouldn't, and Shikamaru knew this well.

So instead of struggle any longer, he closed his eye, and relaxed his body against the tree he was tied too.

He would let his mind wander again, as he tried to think of comforting thoughts to ease the pain he felt on his being. He tried to think back to happy memories, but each thought he had became punctuated with a throb to his chest, or a sharp pain to one of his many wounds. Eventually, he gave up. He quit, and let his mind linger in it's darkness. He opened his eyes-.

To see Gaara standing in front of him.

He could feel his head skip a beat. The man must have heard him playing around with his chains, however so weakly, and he had seemed to come almost immediately. He was still dressed in his Kazekage robes, despite the time of night, and he stood a small distance away from him, his form just peaking out from the large tree branches. His face, however, was clearly visible. And while he breathed, he kept silent...

The expression on his face told Shikamaru everything he needed to know. His eyes threatened to stab Shikamaru right then and now, and his lips had been scooped up into a deep scowl. Shikamaru could almost hear sand swirl in his back pocket. There was no one else in the camp who wanted him alive, and he knew damn well that this might be his end.

And because of that, Shikamaru began to shiver and writhe in fear. Tears even fell from his eyes.

He tried to raise his hands to cover his face, but his chains wouldn't let him get as far. Instead, he would hang his head, effectively covering his face with his stringy hair. He began to shiver non-stop, and his face frantically contorted, melded, mended and changed. He couldn't control himself. He knew Gaara, after nearly a year under his care, he knew him well. He'd choke him. He'd infest his bloodstream with sand. He'd torture him for weeks before he'd let him die. It'd _hurt. Especially now, _with his malnourished body and inability to fight back. Quietly, his voice also began to sputter and wring, occasionally accompanied by a "sorry" or a "please". He stayed like that for a long period of time, as did his captor before...

Shikamaru heard the leaves that Gaara stepped on crunch. His eye slowly rose...

And Gaara was completely gone. Despite this, Shikamaru continued to cry, his sobs continuing until his body failed him again, and he fell into slumber.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"If _any _of this goes wrong, Shikamaru dies. _All _of you should remember this."

Naruto's eyes turned to look behind him briefly. To his right, he could see Sasuke give a single heavy nod, and when he looked to his left he saw Ino standing firm and tall behind Kankuro, who had been placed in a slightly more suitable prisoner outfit, and had his hands tied behind his back, in a bind that was held exclusively by his interrogator. Beside her, Choji gripped his fists, clearly ready to use his jutsu if anything went awry. Once he saw that Naruto had noticed him, he offered the man a slight smile.

"Oh, that's the deal? Good. I'll make sure to _specifically _fuck this up-."

Before he could finish his jeering, Ino gave him a swift smack to the back of his head. Naruto gripped his fists, and then looked in front of him. In front of him was the rest of the clearing that he and Gaara had agreed to meet in. There were two sides to the clearing, and he and the rest of his ninja were standing on the side that held the original borders of the Land of Fire, now temporally owned by the Land of Wind as a consequence of wartime. It was on the other side of the long, yet shallow river that Gaara was expected to make his appearance, along with anyone he might have chosen to come with him, and, with luck, Shikamaru Nara. The sun was high in the sky, and Sasuke had checked earlier that it was the time that they had agreed to. So why was Gaara late?

Naruto frowned, and then slowly folded his arms. The spent a few moments looking at the river in front of him, and worrying about it's depth and ferocity. It'd take a person of at least normal strength to cross it-.

Suddenly, he began to hear shuddering in the trees on the other side of the river. He, Sasuke, Ino and Kankuro each looked up to see the head of a single Sand Shinobi pop out of the brush like a daisy. The single shinobi blinked thrice, looked out at the surroundings, and then disappeared again. Sasuke opened his mouth to make a remark, before a loud sound was heard. On the other side of the river, the trees of the forest fell rapidly, and a great torrent of dust came towards them, but stopped at the river in between the two. When the dust finally settled and cleared, Naruto saw Gaara , his right left propped up on one of the new tree stumps, standing where the edge of the forest once was. Behind him was another unknown shinobi, and no one stood directly behind him. However, in front of the unknown shinobi, Naruto had a clear look of who they had been searching for, and who they had come for...

Shikamaru Nara.

Like the last time he had seen him, the man's eye was sullen and it refused to focus on anything in particular. Behind the man's eclipsing hair he could still see the numerous scars and bruises that still stained his body, and his ear was still missing. He had been dressed in a long, thing robe that they had tied, and yet it still fell off his right shoulder, revealing skin that was an unhealthy red tone. All the while, he shook, and, one realizing all of the eyes looking at him, he looked away, his hands holding onto one another as he partially leaned on his handler. The sight made Naruto angry...

But the presence of Gaara made him... _empty. _This meeting had been the first the two had, in person, in many years. And what could he say to his former friend?

Nothing. Behind him, Naruto heard hushed whispers and a sharp gasp from Ino. Gaara's face remained blank at this, and his cold eyes eventually found their way over to his brother. In response, Kankuro lifted the corners of his mouth to give the man the greatest and most genuine grin he had in years. Gaara smiled softly, and their moods stayed that way for a few moments longer, before Kankuro shook, and abruptly stopped smiling. Something had gotten to him...

Something in Gaara's eyes. Something in the way that he stood, something in the way that he just so casually killed all the tree around him. Something in the way that he stood, and his lethargic body. Something in how he treated Shikamaru...

Gaara's eyes softened on his brother's, and then hardened once he saw Naruto again. He took a breath in.

"You wanted a trade, and here you will get one. Give me my brother."

His voice slithered around Naruto's neck like a rope made of snakes. Naruto felt uneasy when he answered.

"Not so fast. You have to give us Shikamaru first-."

"_**Do not play me, Naruto. You know damn well what I shall do to your friend if you do not co-operate-."**_

_"And we'll do the same to your brother. _Now stop this!"

Naruto turned his head to see that Sasuke had made up for his voice when it faltered in Gaara's presence. _Again. _The man could barely expel a breath as Sasuke gulped gallons of it. From the other side of the river, they could hear a dark laughter come from the small man. Even the Kazekage's own shinobi had turned towards him in fear.

"Your village does not have the _**balls **_to do that-."

"You mistake one of us for the _rest of us._"

As if on cue, Ino raised a kunai to Kankuro's neck, and when the latter tried to struggle, she pulled on his chains to force him to his knees. Naruto opened his mouth, but still no voice would come out. Gaara found himself trying to stare Sasuke down for many moments, before the other man won, and Gaara spat onto the ground in front of him with his final show of defiance. Behind him, Shikamaru slowly grew aware of his surroundings, and his singular eye travelled up to meet Naruto's. Their gazes held.

"...Fine," Gaara said abruptly, interrupting the both of them. Naruto shut his eyes for a moment, and then looked back at the man he was supposed to be dealing with.

"Pass him over. He _better _be able to walk on his own."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Let Shikamaru go first. And send an escort with him. He barely looks like he can stand-."

"He has two legs, does he not? He is at least in a better position than my brother-."

"We're sending your brother over with a crutch for his lost leg. Now give him the damn support. He's basically _**dying next to you-."**_

__"_I do not care. _I promised you Shikamaru _alive, _not _well-."_

"This deal is already lopsided. Send him over with his escort. Otherwise how the hell is he going to traverse the river-."

"No."

Sasuke clenched his fist.

"Then _fuck this deal, we're going home-."_

Before he could finish his sentence, the shinobi that had been holding Shikamaru harshly threw him to the ground. The ma could barely yelp as his face met the muddy soil, and he found no time to truly clam himself before he heard Gaara's sand come towards him, constricting his arms and legs almost immediately. Gaara didn't even look at him as he ordered his sand to strangle him, and for a few short moments, Shikamaru was forced to endure the pain, his reaction coming a few instances later than he felt it. His pained screams assaulted the forest's quiet, but he did not have to suffer long.

"_**STOP!**_"

Gaara's eyes turned to Naruto, and the other man took a deep breath, and then a step forwards.

"...We'll do the deal the way you want. Bring him a little closer to the river, that's all I'm- _we're _asking. Make it a little easier for him..."

Naruto took a gulp.

"Please."

Sasuke's anger was rising to a boiling point, but he simply resorted to glaring at his friend. Gaara continued to look at him with dull eyes, before nodding in agreement. He made a motion with his hands, and Shikamaru's handler moved to pick him up from the ground, slowly moving him forwards towards the river. At the same time, Ino tightened her grip on her captive, and moved forwards, holding her crutch in another hand, with both parties stopping once they met the banks of the river. When they had, the look on Shikamaru's face suddenly soured more than it had, going from hopeless to desperately scarred, and he tried his best to turn his head back towards Gaara, who still stood at the treeline. Failing, he found himself quivering before he muttered loudly.

"No...-n-no... headba... headband... T-...tem..."

Ino heard his words, but found herself confused. Looking at her friend's marred body, she longed to reach out across the body of water and hold him, comfort him and help him become better than he currently was. Kankuro heard his words as well, but did nothing but raise his brows. It was Nara's own handler that found an issue.

"What are you talking about...?"

Shikamaru shut his eye, and took a deep breath in.

"Head...headband... Temari's...headband... I... Wedding ring... I want them... I want... Gaara... them back..." His captor sighed, and then turned his head to address his Kazekage.

"He's talking about a headband and a wedding ring."

Gaara's eyes widened with surprise for the first time in a long while.

_...Right._

He had confiscated all of Shikamaru's things the day that he had been captured, and that was almost a year ago. He had hoped that Shikamaru would just forget about them, but it seemed that he had remembered. He still held both of the things with him in his pocket, as a final remember of his now long dead sister.

He gripped his fists.

"... He is not allowed to have those things anymore. He is barely allowed to have his life."

Shikamaru cringed, and his handler's softened his eyes on him. The man's face was still fearful of the Kage, but he needed to say it. He'd ask again. He'd ask until he was lying dead on the ground. He wanted them back.

"...I want... I need... I want need them back-."

"No."

"Last... last... Temari-."

"And the fault is with which one of us-."

"_**Your... your fault..."**_

__Gaara's eyes turned to daggers, and Shikamaru's eye faltered and looked forwards again. His face showcased his sorrow, before he heard a clang from behind him. He turned his head to see Gaara throwing both items towards his handler, and then, his handler handing the items to him. Shikamaru tried to raise his hand to hold both items in his hand, but once he took too long to find the strength, his handler simply slid it into his pocket, tapping it to make sure it stayed. Gaara shut his eyes, and looked away.

"... You will die soon anyways."

The time that the two sides both dreaded was here. It was time for both of the disabled prisoners to cross the narrow river in front of them, by themselves. There was no doubt that Kankuro would; the man was well fed and still hale. But Shikamaru...

On a silent count of three, both handlers let go of their prisoners. Kankuro balanced himself on his crutch. Shikamaru fell to the ground.

Ino flinched, but stayed her ground. From far behind her, Choji did the same. But neither of them made a true move. Kankuro stayed in his place and looked down at the man, his eyes taking a sorrowful tone. Shikamaru stayed that way for a few moments longer, before trying to move his hands, slowly gripping his toes, and pushing himself onto his hands and knees. He couldn't stand up, not without his handler. He'd have to crawl, and his mind slowly caught up with the reality of it.

When he made his first shuffle, his face turned red, and he fell again.

This time, Ino stepped forwards, and so did Kankuro, only stopped by a harsh voice on the other side of the river.

"_**Your Kage agreed to this! Now stay in your place-."**_

__"This is _cruel!" _Ino shouted, her voice rugged and haggard. "You can't do this to him! What the Hell is wrong with you?!"

"I can and will. You have sympathy for him now, but you know what he did. You know what he _does. _He can condemn an entire village to die. He can _crawl _if he wants freedom. _Kankuro, let's go!_"

Kankuro seemed to be snapped out of whatever trance he was in, and he began to slowly move forwards as well, making more progress than Shikamaru could ever dream of. His eyes remained on the man, and he noticed him get back on his hand and knees, slowly, his face pained and tortured. He made another shuffle, and this time he didn't fall. Another, and another.

The two then were right in front of the body of water. The next shuffle or step would have them in water.

Kankuro moved forwards, his footing getting awkward in the shallow stream, but his spirit not faltering in the slightest. Once he was on the other side, he was free. Once he was on the other side, he'd be able to relax for once in a long time. He'd be able to see his brother again, he'd be able to see his wife.

He'd finally be able to finish the story he began with little Okuni. He had much to look forwards to.

Shikamaru on the other hand, struggled to move. He took in too much water, it stung his open wounds and caused him to yelp in pain. He nearly fell into the liquid, despite how shallow the stream was. When he met Kankuro in the middle of his path, he couldn't look up, not even when Kankuro looked down on him in a mood of confusion. Hatred, sorrow and regret. Embarrassment. His brother had done this.

_Their _brother had done this.

Once Kankuro was on the other side of the river, Gaara immediately rushed forwards to hug him, and the two brothers stood on the bank for many moments in an embrace. Hushed whispers were said, and Kankuro tried to crack a smile, or a joke, or something to distract from the desperate situation. Gaara gave him a shallow smile, like the river he had cross, and then slung him on his shoulder to guide him back to the forest. Before the two disappeared into he treeline, Gaara turned them around, and the three Sand shinobi quietly watched Shikamaru's continued struggle, Gaara's eyes still watching to make sure that none of the leaf shinobi moved to help. Shikamaru nearly fell into the river's current once or twice, and his desperate crawl to safety was agonizingly slow.

And the moment that he was on the other side of the river, he collapsed into the ground for the final time...

"...Hey."

Shikamaru opened his eye to see Temari standing over him. An image of the day she died. Still dressed in her white medical gown, her hair down from her four ponytails. She looked down at her husband, seeing the pain in his body and in his eyes, and extended her right hand.

"...Is it your turn?"

Shikamaru blinked, then saw the faces of his father and Asuma standing next to her. When he blinked again, they were gone.

Choji and Ino came running.

Naruto and Sasuke stood in their places, and watched the minor spectacle from afar. Choji lifted his friend, and cradled his head against his chest, as Ino began to desperately brush some of the excess water off of his body, and took the back of her hand to try and clean some of his still open wounds. Shikamaru sputtered, and his mouth coughed open to try and get some of the water out of his mouth. His single eye frenzied around unfocused, and soon his body lost all of it's strength, his arms and legs both slacking against his much larger friend's body. After a few short moments, his eyelid closed. Choji shook his harshly.

"Shikamaru! Shikamaru! Come on man you can't go out like this!"

"..."

His lips parted and his tongue moved, but no voice came out. Ino held his face in her hands and smoothed out the scars on his cheeks, hoping to comfort him.

"Shikamaru! Come on stay with us!"

"...Te...Tem..."

His voice came out that time, tiny, yet clearly there. Choji shook his head again.

"Come on... come on buddy you can't go out like this!"

"...T...Temari...-."

"Yes! Come on! You got to hold on! We'll get you help!"

"Tem...sorry... sorry...I...Sorr-."

Temari placed a finger on his lips, and then gave him a light and reassuring smile.

"...I know what you did all those years ago. I've always known. And... I forgave you on the day I died. You have nothing to apologize for-"

Shikamaru's voice suddenly faded, and Choji shook him again, his begs and blathering becoming more and more pathetic as the moments passed, his grip on his friend's shoulders turning to vices. Quickly, Ino lifted her hands to his neck, feeling it's dry texture, and checked his pulse.

She felt nothing.

She let out an angered yelp, but then looked up to look at Choji's face, it covered with tears of frustration. By now, Shikamaru wasn't responding anymore. No pulse, weakened body movements for a long period of time. Stuttered and delayed voice. Lack of reality, and lack of focus before he had went under. No movement. No pulse. No strength left in his body. On any other day, she'd have to declare...

"... Fuck that. _**Fuck **_that! Choji, come on! We're lifting him back to the camp! There's more medical supplies there!"

Choji stood there, continuing his helpless blathering. When Ino repeated herself, the man finally shook himself from his stupor, and then he placed Shikamaru's body onto a position on his shoulder that wouldn't hurt him. Ino helped, and the remainder of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio slowly moved themselves back to their edge of the treeline, their souls drawn, their bodies ragged.

Their friend dead.

And the moment that he was sure that the three wouldn't be interrupted by him, Sasuke began to rush towards Gaara with abandon.

_**"CHIDORI!"**_

Naruto's eyes had been frozen on his former friend for the entire meeting, so much that he didn't notice the Uchiha's ascent until it was almost too late. The man lept over the river in one jump, and then jumped again to get a higher vantage on Gaara. Gaara noticed the man fall towards him, and pushed his brother out of the way. Sasuke let out a loud scream, representative of the pain he had felt for more than a decade. Representative, perhaps, for the pain of his entire village.

But he didn't get a chance to land his blow. Because a giant torrent of sand, this time being embedded with blue stripes, kicked Sasuke right back to the river that he had just crossed.

Sasuke almost fell onto his back, but quickly somersaulted to land on his feet. Naruto rushed to the bank of his side of the river, prepared to at least assist his friend, but Sasuke kept going, leaving him behind.

Or rather, he would have. Had Sasuke not seen something dangerous in Gaara.

The man was standing up straight and tall, but there was an eerie familiarity to it. Half of his body was encased in sand, but it was still the strange, blue striped version of it. His eyes then travelled to his face, half of it being encased by sand, but the sand had taken a sinister look. His left eye was yellow, and his left ear had relocated it self to the top of his head. And then, he noticed the long, single tail that slid back and forth behind him.

And once he did, Sasuke's face froze.

"...Sh-."

"_**There was a reason why you had not be able to defeat me for quite some time. Now, Sasuke. Do you truly want a battle? Do you truly want to fight!?"**_

__Gaara turned, and Kankuro continued to move away from his brother, his own face furrowing over with confusion and grief. Sasuke took no steps backwards, his mind was clear and his conscious clean. He'd kill this man, even if it cost him his life. He'd do it for his villagers. He'd do it for his friends and family back home, he'd do it for his wife and his young daughter-.

"Sasuke... fall back."

Sasuke turned his head towards his leader, and saw Naruto standing on the river's bank, mud dirtying his Hokage robe. The ma had the same shocked and scared expression on his face that he had.

"...Come bac-."

"You think we can't take him? You think we're both too weak? No... the both of us... I don't give a _toss _what he has in him now! Again! I don't care! You and me, against the world! Even if we die, we'll take this bastard down!"

Naruto sucked in a breath.

"The forest is too small. If we start fighting now... we'll take down too much, make too much of a mess. Shikamaru's still weak. We need to... We need to play it safe. Just for now.-."

"That man's already dea-."

"**I'm not giving up on him! Now get your ass back here Sasuke!"**

Sasuke glared at his friend, and Naruto glared back. After a few moments of self reflection, and a few more moments of the wheels in his head swirling around, Sasuke made his way back towards Naruto's side of the forest, not sparing his friend another glance, and instead rushing into the treeline, trying to catch up with Choji and Ino. He was right, in a way.

But Naruto was a coward, in his eyes. Either way.

Now, it was just the two of them. Naruto and Gaara, with Kankuro having disappeared into the treeline shortly after his brother's revelation. The two stood each other up, and neither's gaze broke. Slowly, Gaara left Shukaku's essence return within him, and he gripped his fists. The river in between them began to flow faster, and the sun in the sky began to oppress. Yet, neither of them moved.

It remained this way for a few minutes, soon an hour. And then, Naruto cleared his throat.

"... I can't guarantee your safety anymore, buddy. I-."

"_**I am not your fucking friend, Naruto-."**_

"You are. And soon they're going to make me kill you. And then, I wont be able to save you."

Gaara's eyes widened in confusion, and Naruto turned away from him, instead looking up at the sun above them, not flinching from it's brightness.

"...Remember my wedding night? Come on Gaara, I know you're still in there. I know you remember. I.. I got crazy drunk, didn't I? Well, it was my first time with real alcohol, and maybe someone should've limited me. I was...well we were all drunk. All of us stupid as hell. Hinata should've had my ass when we got home. But... Gaara. You drank a thimble, that's how _you _got drunk. I mean, I lasted three bottles, Choji eleven, Kiba sixteen. And you're out after a _shot, _man. And S-."

**"I do not want to hear it-."**

"Well it's the truth, Gaara! We used to be so close and... fuck. Sasuke's right. That's the problem, you're making me doubt myself. When I... when I came into office... I said I'd end the war with as little bloodshed as possible. And now look at us, look at what _you _did! The Nara clan's never going to forget what you did to their leader, _especially _not their heir! Hell, Shikadai's never going to forgive you for trying to kidnap him and attacking his teacher! Sasuke's never going to forgive you for-."

"**What do you want me to do about it-"**

_"God Gaara, I want you to **stop. You're making a mess Gaara... you're making a mess and this time... I don't think I can clean it up. I don't think there's going to be anything left for you if you continue! Stop it! Stop it before they make me kill you! It's... it's almost too late!"**_

__Gaara looked up at his friend, and noticed the tears that began to stain Naruto's eyes. But he kept them within those eyes, he didn't let them run down his cheek. His stare on his old friend continued for a long while afterwards, and this caused him to find the time to think about his proposal...

For a few short moments. Gaara closed his eyes, allowing himself to look sorrowful for once in the longest while. But when he opened those eyes again...

"...**It is too late."**

Naruto shook his head slowly, his face giving off a sad smile.

_**"...It's never too late. Please... just surrender. Surrender and I'll fix everything-."**_

__**"You cannot fix everything, ****and ****you cannot fix everyone." **He bit his lip.

**"Not again, at least."**

Gaara turned to disappear behind the treeline, and Naruto took a step towards him, but could not follow. It was done. He had made his decision.

Naruto turned back to his treeline, and went to try and repair what his old friend had done.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_ Holy shit that was a hard chapter to write. Sorry for the delay. I hope you all liked it, and I'm a bit regress to say that I'm entering exams/culminating season again (the last one for my high school, unless I fuck up really, really badly), meaning that I might not have a lot of time to keep updating. For now, I'll try to update again by May 31st or June 4th, but once again please look at my profile for detailed and reliable updates. Thank you ALL for reading this far, and sorry for the depression, but, it gets better. It all gets better. Both life and my fanficition. Please leave a review if you can, and I'll update as soon as I can! Thank you all again!_


	50. Dawn

_AN: _ _Holy shit I am SO sorry for how long this took to get out! Like I said on my profile, I had culminatings and summatives, and next week I have exams. I've only been able to upload this chapter because I finally finished some of them and I had a bit of time to actually write this (also, tomorrow (June 17__th__) is my birthday! I'm finally an adult! Woohoo!). So here we are!_

_Just one thing that I'd like to complain about in my own writing. I agree that I"m not really writing the war the way I'd want to, and I think the way I'm writing this is making people have too much sympathy for Shikamaru. Ultimately, I want to write it so people can look at each character and see a shade of grey (yes, even Gaara). Besides, wars aren't usually just so black and white. You'll see._

_Anyways, looks like I'm going to fail to end this in 300k words, so I'm going to try and make a new goal for under 400k works, but we'll see with how it goes. Also, I now have no idea when I'll be able to finish this off. I'm hoping that I can do it before May of next year, but I'm also going to have a busy winter season. I'll try to update as much as I can during July and August, but I have so many responsibilities. However, I'd like to thank every one of my readers for their support over the years, and I hope that you're still enjoying this fanfiction. You guys are the real MVPs!_

_**Once again, I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Choji had been standing over Shikamaru's body for at least half an hour. He quietly wondered if he was anything more than a corpse now.

The first thing they had done after rescuing him on that day was bring him back to the small camp that they had set up. He was transported into the medical tent, and then placed onto a warm and comfortable blanket, and then Ino had stuck an iv into him to give him more blood. She then spent the rest of the day creating a series of cocktails with Sakura, and then mixed it with the blood that they had given him. Ino checked his pulse again, and when she found nothing there, she declared that the man might have needed more time for the medication to kick in. Sakura and Ino cleaned his wounds the best they could, and then they all left him to rest, knowing that there was nothing that they could do in the meantime.

That had been eight days ago.

Choji placed his head into one of his large hands, and then took a deep breath in. Each day after that they had went to check on him, and each day Ino had checked for any signs of consciousness, any signs of life. Each time they found nothing. Each time, they had altered his drugs, and had tried to add new things. Each time, they saw no change. Each time, they had tried to make Naruto aware of his friend's true condition. Each time, the man had simply ignored them, retreating into his own sorrows.

Choji couldn't blame him. They had just traded away their biggest trump card against the Sand Village, and in return they had received the "privilege" of watching their friend die.

The large man slowly sat himself down into a chair, but continued to persist in the tent, not really knowing what else he could do. Looking over his old friend, he found himself critiquing the job that they had done to try and patch up his body. The right side of Shikamaru's was essentially irreparable, and the only thing they could do was hastily wrap a bandage around it, with an extra tissue over his missing eye. His missing ear was dealt with in the same manner, and his entire head was resting on a soft white pillow. His hair had been washed and the portions of his skin that weren't wounds had been scrubbed, but it didn't take away the look of death that hung in his aura, and despite his forced nourishment, some of his bones still showed. They had also replaced the clothes he wore, now he laid in a dark green robe, a pale imitation of the ones that he wore when he was at home. Choji cringed. The way he was now, quiet and silent, was the most peaceful he had seen him since Temari died.

Choji's eyes narrowed. _Maybe that's because he's with her again..._

The flap to the tent opened, and Choji turned his head to see Sasuke walk in. The first thing he noticed about the man was his eyes; there were dark circles around them, revealing his lack of sleep. He looked towards him, and upon seeing Choji they softened, before the man's eyes turned to look at Shikamaru's fallen form. The man still failed to respond. Sasuke moved further into the tent, and then folded his arms.

"Choji."

"Sasuke."

The Uchiha head held his frown.

"He's still like this?" He asked, his voice further revealing his lack of sleep. The other man nodded.

"Hasn't moved an inch. Ino's changed the cocktail every day, and still no pulse..." He knew how to conclude his sentence, but he felt like not saying anything. He doubted that he could handle the fallout if he did. Thankfully, it seemed that Sasuke knew exactly what he was going to say, and he simply nodded.

"We need to head back soon. Naruto left Kakashi-sensei in charge, but it's still not good practice for him to leave his people alone for so long. Besides, I think you know how the council's been talking. They _want _Kakashi to be back in charge. We shouldn't let the people get used to him ruling again, for Naruto's sake. Besides, it's time to leave." Sasuke paused.

"He deserves a proper burial."

Choji flinched, and then turned his head to his old friend again. His closed eye and peaceful face.

…_Buddy... Do you even want to wake up?_

Choji shook his head.

"Let's give him a few more days. It can't hurt, can it? A few people could return home to try and keep the heat off of Naruto and-."

"That wont work. And that isn't the only reason why we need to go back." Sasuke let the silence enter his ears before he continued.

"We need to keep fighting. Can't just, stay here waiting for him to wake up. It's ruining morale, it's... Making us waste away, I have to say. He's..."

The image of Shikamaru crawling to his freedom welled up in his eyes, and his voice nearly died.

"He's not going to wake up-."

"_Shut up._"

Sasuke raised his head to look at Choji. He saw that the other man had folded his arms, and that he was looking at Sasuke as if he had just finished killing his own child. For a moment, the leader of the Uchiha clan held his gaze, but, upon feeling the emotion that Choji was pushing through his narrowed eyes, he eventually backed down, and looked back towards the body in front of them.

"You can believe what you want to, but we've been through this before. I can remember... Temari was in a similar state on her last day-."

"Shikamaru told me that he was still able to speak to her-."

"And he was alone with her, no one else was there. How do we know he was telling the truth? How do you know that he even _knew what was going on?_"

The longer the conversation went on for, the angrier and angrier Choji became. "What the _hell _are you implying?" He spat. Sasuke cleared his throat, and then continued.

"What else? Shikamaru's been... "off"… ever since Weeping Sands. You haven't noticed his actions? You haven't realized it? Some 'friend' you are." Choji stayed silent, taking in the information, and Sasuke took another quick breath before he continued.

"...Even if he _does _wake up, the state he was in before is only going to be worse. Sakura reported multiple skull fractures and spinal cord damage, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. If he survives, how is he going to walk again? Will he even be able to talk again? Move his arms? _Think? _This is pointless, and we've been dragging the man along for years when we should have discharged him years ago. And if he dies, he'll finally have gained the rest he so dearly needs-."

"And why do _you _think you should have the authority over if he dies? Why do you think _we _should? Even if he can't do many things anymore, he has a son and a clan to take care of! We should keep trying, at the very least give him a chance to choose if he wants to continue on living! For fuck's sake, he _crawled _to freedom! What does that show?"

"That he doesn't give up on the duties that he's been given. But I ask you this, do you think he wants all of them? Do you think he wants to keep on doing this? To keep living like this? The only duty he signed up for was his son and his wife, and you can see what happened to one of them-."

"...Heh. It's a wonder that Shikamaru hasn't woken up yet, with you two screaming in front of him."

Both shinobi turned their heads to the tent flap, and watched as Naruto Uzumaki walked through it. He looked around seventy times more tired and worse for wear than Sasuke, with the wrinkles that had begun to grow on his face deep and dark, his hair in a mess, and his eyes barely able to keep focus. And yet through it all, he wore a small, clearly facetious smile on his face, trying to keep the mood as light as possible. He made sure that the flap was closed behind him, and then walked in between the two arguing parties, before turning to look down at Shikamaru's body. His smile remained on his face, yet the mood saddened.

"If you two want to fight over him... Just do it outside. I don't think he'd appreciate the loudness around him. Something something... 'troublesome', right?"

Slowly, Naruto approached his old friend, and knelt by his side. Despite the machines around him, he still manually placed two fingers at his pulses, and, despite feeling nothing, moved his hand to smooth out the stray hair that had fallen onto his face. Choji and Sasuke looked on in morbid fascination, and Choji looked away first. It was hard to look at the corpse of a friend.

"Shh... it's al-right buddy. Just take your time. You've been through a lot of shit this past year, mm? Just take it easy... Wake up when you're ready... When you can-."

"_He's not going to wake up."_

Naruto turned his head from Shikamaru, and then looked back at the interruption. Sasuke was standing up tall and stern, yet his eyes revealed his pity.

"Naruto, _**enough-.**_"

"Enough of what-."

"He's _dead. _We've stayed here for long enough." Sasuke took a deep breath, his voice harsh. It was the only way his friend would get it.

"Shikamaru's _dead, _Gaara's a _monster, _and we're going to have to _kill him _for what he's done-."

"**I know that.**"

Sasuke raised a brow, and Choji's face turned to his Hokage with sadness. Naruto slowly moved his hand to hold Shikamaru's, before he turned away from them all.

"Then why-."

"Give him one more day. One more medical cocktail. One more night. If he's not up by tomorrow morning..."

Naruto's voice wavered and faded out. Gaara's harsh face returned to his memories, and then he gripped Shikamaru's hand.

"Then we bring him home and bury him. We give Shikadai the closure he deserves, and re announce his fate to the rest of Konohagakure. If we play this right... We could use it to boost morale. Yeah..."

The voice was gone again, and both Sasuke and Choji looked to one another, surprised at Naruto's decision. They had previously both expected him to fight for the life of his friend again, but...

The life he fought for wasn't even there.

Sasuke nodded in agreement, but Choji's eyes simply went back to the body on the floor. When both Naruto and Sasuke left, leaving as quiet as they had entered, Choji took his turn by the man's body, touched his pulses, and held onto his right hand. Shikamaru didn't move an inch.

Choji closed his eyes.

"You have to get up.… Don't end things like this. _Please._"

He spent many more minutes alone with his old friend, reminiscing on the times when he did the same. Then, he returned Shikamaru's cold hand to his side, and left the tent.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru moved one of his pieces forwards, and on the other side of the shogi table, Shikadai let out a loud moan.

"Aww man! Troublesome!"

Shikamaru's face lit up into a bright smile, his teeth shining proudly in front of his child. Shikadai frowned and crossed his arms, momentarily looking away from his father, before his eyes went back to Shikamaru's. In response, Shikamaru reached a hand forward to nuzzle his hair, and Shikadai's hard crusade was instantly ended. The boy giggled embarrassingly, all the while his father continued to play with his hair.

"Come on, don't get too down. You were close this time after all, just off by a few moves."

Shikamaru's hand left his boy's hair, and then went to a piece on the shogi board in front of him. It was one of his son's pieces, and he lifted it up to make Shikadai pay attention.

"Now..."

Shikamaru moved Shikadai's piece in a few directions, demonstrating to him a few possible manuvers that he could have taken to win. Shikadai placed a hand on his chin, and then nodded when his father stopped his movements.

"Got it?"

"A-yep!" Shikadai then began to put all of the pieces back into place. "Let's do a rematch!"

"Rematch? Now, I love shogi as much as you do, but there are a lot of other things that I need to do today."

"Dad..."

Almost as if on cue, Shikamaru began to hear a collection of footsteps come towards him from inside his home. He and his son were sitting on the back porch of their home, hidden underneath the shade of their roof above them, hiding from the harsh summer's sun. The area was quiet, or rather, it had been quiet before the third inhabitant of the home had shown up. Shikamaru and Shikadai both turned their heads in the direction of the new noise to see a small toddler come waddling towards them from the slightly opened back door. She was exceptionally tiny compared to the two of them, even compared to Shikadai, yet the determination in her eyes was as clear as day. She made her steps small and deliberate, but it became clear that she was new to the situation when she fell over on her front, causing a loud thud on the deck. Shikamaru immediately moved to collect the girl in his arms.

The moment she was secure, the girl twisted her small head up to look at Shikamaru. Her hair was a bright, yellow blonde, but her eyes were small and a deep brown. Like his. Her hair had been put up into a single small ponytail, and soon her face slowly pushed itself into a large, bright smile. Just like her mother's.…

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!"

Shikamaru's smile increased, and whatever downs he had been having before were instantly erased. He gave her a large hug, one worthy of a bear, and she giggled in response. He then moved his daughter back to the shogi board, where his son had tilted his head.

"Is it just going to take her forever to learn how to walk?"

Shikamaru almost ignored him, instead watching his girl's eyes as he walked closer to the board. He brought her in front of him, and she reached out her hands in front of her, trying to grasp one of the pieces. He smiled.

"Oh, so that's why you came out, eh? You wanted to play shogi with the boys? Got tired of napping?"

She was still a little too young to understand him, yet she turned her head and nodded ecstatically. Shikamaru slowly lowered her to the cushion where he had been seated, and then moved to sit behind her. Shikadai frowned.

"Oh no way! Daaaddd! I don't want to have to play against some little girl!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"What's wrong? She's your sister after all, and by the time she gets older she'll eventually want to match you. Besides, I'll be helping her-."

"Exactly! So she's going to win! She's like two I don't want her beating me!"

Shikadai's little sister tilted her head at him, almost as if she was trying to understand what he was saying. Shikamaru, on the other hand, slowly began to place all the pieces back in place, and, once they were all set, he lifted one and handed it to his daughter. She took it into her hands, blinked a few times, and then raised it high above the table, like she had seen her father do countless times before. Shikamaru looked up at Shikadai and gave him a mischievous smirk.

"Then you better step your game up."

Shikadai growled.

"You're on! Bring it, Karura!"

Karura Nara dropped the piece onto the board in front of her and then let out a loud sound of triumph, before turning to look to her father for guidance. Shikamaru nodded his head quickly and then directed her to the board again in time for her to see her brother move one of his pieces. She squealed in delight, and then moved one of her pieces by herself. Her brother moved another in response. The process went on and on, and Shikamaru watched silently, overjoyed at his state of affairs. Here, there was no war, or any kind of strife. There was instead a sun in the sky, a board for Shogi, and his two children. The clacking of the pieces being lifted and plopped back down on the shogi board, and occasionally the sound of sweat dropping from one's brow.

Eventually, his two little ones finally reached what was likely to be the last play of the game. Shikamaru leaned forwards in amusement, and watched both Karura and Shikadai stare each other down. They were both down to two pieces, their knight and their king, but the action was concentrated on Karura's side of the board. Shikadai let out a sneering little laugh, and the slapped another piece down. Karura shook, and then turned around to look up at her father again. Shikamaru gave a knowing look.

"Come on honey. You can do this. Just one more move..." When she made a whining sound, he patted her back a little.

"Use that brilliant little head your Mom and Dad gave you."

The girl turned herself around, and then looked back up at her brother. After studying him for a while, she closed her eyes and placed her hands together in the way that she had observed her father ding many, many times before. Shikamaru watched, and Shikadai watched impatiently. One more move, and then her king would be gone.

She wouldn't let that happen.

Quickly, she reached her small hand forwards and moved her king behind Shikadai's king. Shikadai's eyes nearly dropped to the floor, and Karura threw her hands up in the air.

"I did it I did it! I'm just like Daddy!"

"Hey no fair! Dad she cheated! I didn't see that coming at all-."

"Seems pretty fair to me, son," Shikamaru snapped. He then reached a hand forwards to tussle his son's hair. "And don't feel bad, you did a great job. You just need more-."

"Karura! Shikadai! Where are you?"

At the sound of that voice, Shikamaru felt his heart drop. The footsteps that accompanied it made him weaker, and his eyes slowly turned to the screen door that led into his home. Could it have been? The woman who was coming...?

The door to the deck opened, and it was exactly who he had been expecting. His angel and his wife, Temari Nara.

Time began to slow for him, and a single tear came to his right eye spontaneously. Her head looked at the commotion in front of her, from child to child, before it settled on Shikamaru. The man was beginning to shake, before his mouth curled into a smile. If only she knew the things.…

"Oh, I should've known that you'd be responsible for this."

Temari gave off her own smirk, and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"...Responsible for what?"

She moved to sit beside him, in the middle of the Shogi table. When she sat down, Karura immediately jumped and went to climb into her mother's lap, and tried to trap her in an embrace. Or, she was trying to eat her. Her mother did smell like cookies and cake from what she had been cooking earlier.

"Responsible for these two little ones forgetting their chores," Temari said, continuing. She slowly wrapped her arms around her toddler, and then continued to speak to her husband in a hushed, yet playful, tone.

"Shikadai was supposed to be taking out the garbage, and Karura was practising her walk-."

"Mm? Well, you know how much Shogi's a staple in our family. It was a friendly little game-."

"And matter of fact, _you _were going to help me in the garden today, weren't you?"

Shikamaru's smile didn't leave his face, but he did place a hand behind his back, tilting his head slightly.

"Well...hm. Hm hm hm. Now that I think about it, Naruto might need me again at the office-."

"Not so fast, you lazy crybaby. There's no war now. Only a war between a woman's fingernails and a man's fingers."

"Noo... No no no. I'm almost 100 percent sure that there's a war going on."

Temari gave him a flat, playful look. Shikadai lunged forwards.

"Mom... Daaaaadddd."

Shikamaru looked towards Shikadai ad got an even better idea.

"Hey, how about we use these two for our gardening instead? I mean, in rural areas, they have as many children as they can possibly have so that they can help out around the farms and et cetera. Maybe it's time that these kiddos earned their keep..."

"Dad! I didn't mean it like that-."

"I love your method of thinking, Shikamaru. I agree. So, Shikadai, do you think you're strong enough to handle carrying manure-."

"I'm not old enough or big enough for anything!"

Both Shikamaru and Temari chuckled at Shikadai's expense, and their young son began to turn red from the suggestion. Karura began to get a bit restless in Temari's arms, so she picked her up and placed her on her shoulder. Shikamaru moved to stand with her.

"That's right, come along mister. You're going to be helping me in the fields today."

"Ugh, you make it sound so troublesome. I'm paying more attention to the weather myself, woman," Shikamaru then gestured to the open sky.

"It's a much better day for a walk in the park, don't you think? And we can string these little ones along with us."

"I don't like how all of this plans involve me-."

"Shikadai, you barely like anything."

Shikadai let out a groan, and Temari raised a single brow at her husband, before looking at the sky herself. She also noted the way that her daughter was beginning to squirm in her hands...

"Sounds like a plan. But, then again, I've still got you later."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later on that night, Shikamaru and Temari were together in their room, wrapped in an intense embrace.

By now, it was dark outside, and both of their children were in bed. Their afternoon walk had ended with Karura getting lost temporarily in the Nara forest before being found by a deer, and Shikadai finding walking "troublesome" and trying to climb on top of his Dad. But now, all of that was over now. All of that was gone. The only thing that the two knew or had was the room that housed the both of them, the candles that Shikamaru had lit, and the bed that laid behind Temari's frame.

Shikamaru still held onto her tightly, breathing in her scent and losing himself in her hair. It had been too long, far too long since he had been with her, and he was simply overjoyed with the prospect of being able to lay with her once again. Too long... Too much pain. But it had been worth it. Worth it now that he was with her.

Soon, he let go of her, expecting her to climb onto the bed behind them. But instead, she simply took a deep breath, shook her head, and then looked up at her husband, her eyes suddenly reflecting the sadness in her heart.

"...Shikamaru... I'm not real."

The grip that Shikamaru had on her hips increased tremendously, and he pulled his body away from her, looking at her face to face. There was little surprise in his voice, and in his heart.

"I know. None of this... None of this is here."

He let out a defeated sigh, and when he looked up at her again, he noticed that things around him began to deteriorate back to the way things actually were. His room slowly morphed into how it looked like the day he left it; messed sheets on one side of the bed, a small picture of Temari in memoriam on her side table, all of Temari's things packed into the closet as opposed to being on their dresser...

"Then wake up." His wife's voice had begun to deepen. "Stop living in a fantasy."

Slowly, Shikamaru began to feel the ailments from the moral world return to him, and he lost his sight in his right eye. His numerous scars began to return to his body, and soon he found that he could barely stand. He leaned on his side table, and now struggled to even look at his wife.

Just like that, she had taken him out of his fantasy. His eyes narrowed in a mixture of anger and pain.

"Pfft, besides, you're not going to want me to wake up."

"Why would that be? You living in reality is much more comforting than existing in a fantasy-."

"I'm going to have to kill your brothers."

Temari's eyes widened immediately.

"No." Her voice was firm.

"Yes." His voice was just so.

"You can't-."

"What do you mean I can't? You're not around to stop me any more."

"God Shikamaru, there has to be another way!" She placed ah and to her head, and was beginning to visibly look ill.

"I didn't fucking marry you so you could go off and do this-."

"And I married you to prevent this from happening!"

"Then why!? What's changed so much that-."

"_**FUCK TEMARI, WOULD YOU LOOK AT WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO ME?!**_"

Shikamaru felt himself become suddenly weak, and fell heavier onto his side table. Temari blinked, and then looked over his body again, his wounds and scars becoming more visible to her in this new position. He tried to stand up tall again, but visibly recoiled, a wound in his chest causing his muscles to spasm, and he fell further to the ground once again. When he tried to stand up tall again, Temari had come over to assist him, and she helped him reach his feet again.

When she had finished, he embraced her again.

He felt like crying, but he wouldn't. He couldn't spare any more of his tears for the situation, not now and not ever. She wasn't even really here. He was alone. His son would be raised without a mother, and at any moment he was sure that he would succumb to his wounds.

And it was all their fault.

Moments passed, but the moments could have been hours. Temari broke away first, and it was revealed that she hadn't shed a single tear either. It was clear what they had both arrived on. Shikamaru caught his voice.

"It's been eleven years. They _**had **_time. They _**had **_their chances. They _**had **_their mercy. But they... He... He didn't give me any, Tem. You... You _saw _me. I _begged _him for mercy, I _apologised _a million times! And he kept going! He kept attacking me he kept fucking hurting me and then he almost left me in a dungeon to die! Those aren't the actions of a man who can be saved! I didn't do _shit _to him to deserve it-."

"You can shove that self-pity up your ass, Shika, because everybody knows what you did to make him act like that-!"

"What?! I'm the villain because I dared to love?!"

"_**You know damn well that's not what I'm talking about.**_"

It was Shikamaru's turn to stand in awe. Temari sucked in a shallow breath.

"It took me a while to get curious at the little looks they used to give me sometimes. You know, looks from your friends? From some of the council members? Hushed tones? I had to find out what you did all by myself. And you'll never understand the feeling I had, when you know that the man you threw your life away for just stabs you in the back! And worst still, to find out that he _lied to your face and would've never told you about it!_ It breaks your trust of that person! I... I couldn't stop thinking about it! I'm living with you, laying with you, fucking you loving you kissing you and I don't even know what else you've been doing all this time! Who else you've been killing! You else you've been fucking-."

Shikamaru harshly reached forwards to grab her arm at that, and lifted it into the air. She pulled her hand back, and Shikamaru tried his best to defend himself.

"You _**fucking **_know that I've been with no other woman but you! The only woman I love is you! This... All of this is nonsense what the fuck are you even talking about?! Am I not allowed to want to hide some things from you!? Do I constantly have to be looking for your approval!? I can't... Do you think I wanted that to happen-."

"It doesn't matter! God... You could've told me! If you told me then we could've went through it together! But you didn't! You kept it to yourself, you had everyone else lie to me and avoid-."

"I didn't want to hurt you-."

"_**You hurt me more by lying!**_"

Temari's voice fell, the anger she held for her husband made her face a flush red. Shikamaru paused for a few moments, before he took a deep breath.

"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry every day that I lied to you, and I'm sorry that the attack ended up the way it did. But I did what I had to do-."

"Then Gaara did what he had to do to _you _then."

"That's it! Temari, tell me, do you love _**me or do you love your brothers!?**_"

"Don't ask me that question."

"Oh, so now shits off limits! Well that's too bad. Do you love me more than you love them!?"

"I told you don't ask me that!"

"Because you don't me to hear the truth, do you!? I'm beginning to figure it out! All those fucking years of pleading! 'Shikamaru, please don't!' 'They had to do that, it was in self-defence!' You kept asking me to do the impossible, you kept asking _**us **_to do the impossible! If we stopped giving a fuck about morals and about your precious siblings then the war might have been over by now! I think I know who you loved more! I think I know well-."

"Shikamaru-."

"No, tell me Temari! Tell me now! Has everything we've been through for the past eleven years been a lie?! Everything?! Was this all an act!? Did you just come with me on that day to save their hides!? Was... Was everything.…fake?! A dream!? How long have I been dreaming, Temari-."

"For the past seven days, no more no less-."

"Then you tell me what I am to you! You tell me what I was to you and you tell me this instant!"

"I told you I don't want to-."

"Say it!"

"No!"

"SAY IT!"

"No!"

"_**JUST FUCKING TELL ME! TELL ME THAT YOU NEVER LOVED ME! TELL ME THEY"VE ALWAYS BEEN FIRST IN YOUR HEART!"**_

"_**SHIKAMARU I'VE LOVED YOU MORE THAN THEM NOW STOP THIS!"**_

Once she said it, Shikamaru stopped, and the rest of the room brought another silent feeling. Temari stood, her eyes now red from exhaustion and pain. The two stared at each other for a few moments longer...

Before Temari ran into Shikamaru's arms, and he accepted her again.

She ran her fingers over his scars, and he ran his hands through her hair. Their hug soon turned into a kiss, and soon that kiss was on their bed...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When the two "awoke", Shikamaru was already halfway out from under the sheets.

Temari grabbed his arm, and this caused him to pause and turn his head towards her. Seeing her de shelved within his bed brought back memories of before, and he reached out his other hand to take some of the hair out of her face, before leaning over and giving her a long kiss on her lips. She shivered from his touch, but she wasn't truly there anyway.

Shikamaru eventually turned his body away from her, and then pushed himself up from the bed. He stood up, completely naked, and then walked towards the window, where the moonlight shone through. He sighed.

"...I'm sorry. For what I've done, and for what I'm about to do."

"Just do it. Our dreams are different, I understand-."

"_We dream the same dream. _But Kankuro and Gaara have lost their chance to be in it now."

There was a long silence, and Shikamaru could feel the stress of reality return to him. He closed his eyes.

"... I love you. Always have."

The darkness of his mind overtook his senses, and soon his dream was over.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino Yamanaka was knelt next to Shikamaru when she heard him draw breath again.

It was a sudden and harsh gasp, through lips that were just beginning to open. She looked up to the heart monitoring machine to see that his heartbeat was beginning to register on it, and she felt her own heartbeat increase. When he began to shake his right hand, she knew what he was trying to do.

She dropped the syringe that she had injected into him onto the ground and then began to shake him back, lightly at first. His mouth opened wider, and she heard a loud sigh. Her excitement continued to grow.

"Shikamaru? Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru's eye still didn't open, but by now it was obvious that the man was trying his best to wake up. Her shaking increased and his breathing increased. The heart rate monitor intensified.

"Shikamaru! Come on! J-j-just relax! You're almost there!"

He began to cough, and Ino began to hit on his chest. Instinctively, she reached out to hold his hand, and gripped it with all her might. She heard the flaps of his tent open, and loud footsteps quickly increased until she saw Choji come to the other side of Shikamaru. He reached for his friend's throat, trying to clear his airway, and as a reward for his efforts they both heard Shikamaru's breathes deepen, and his spasms increase.

Soon, he was able to open his eye.

Upon seeing this, both Ino and Choji let out relieved chuckles, while Shikamaru's eyes struggled to focus on either one of them. Soon, after they had both removed their hands from his body, with the exception of the hand that Ino used to hold Shikamaru's, he weakly raised a hand up, and his eye focused on the "roof" of his tent above.

They saw his lips move. No sounds came out.

"It's al right buddy," Choji said. "Take your time, take your time!"

Shikamaru's lips parted again but all that came out was a sigh.

"God... You're alive. You're still _alive!_" There had barely been more times that Ino had been this happy. Shikamaru's face tensed, and he took in one long draw, before his voice returned to the moral world again, still weak from his injuries, but it was the voice of Temari's husband nonetheless.

"..._**Troublesome.**_**"**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_And that's the end of part 50, Dawn. Look forwards to my profile for updates, but so far I should be able to get another chapter out during the first week of July. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this story so far! Remember to Read and Review, I love to read your reviews!_

_P.S Next chapter will focus on a certain Sand Shinobi._


	51. Progress

_AN: Yaaaay! By the time I'm done this fic, it might be as long as Les Miserables! :D! …Ugh. I don't have much to say about this chapter other than there should be another update sometime next Saturday if I find the time for it, and that this chapter was extremely satisfying for me to write. It's also very important. Well, enjoy it!_

_**I Do Not Own Naruto**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_A week earlier, shortly after the prisoner exchange._

Gaara had warned him, but it still took Kankuro actually seeing the way that the shinobi at their base camp received him for him to understand how much Sunagakure had missed him.

The moment the group of men emerged from the trees, Kankuro heard someone shout his name, and then a few moments after that a hundred or so shinobi had left their tents to line up in front of his entourage. There was a great feeling of relief in the camp now, and soon they all began to shout his name in praise, welcoming him back and praising him for his supposed "bravery." Kankuro tried his best to smile back, but he still felt a bit upset. "Bravery". What "bravery" had he shown?

Soon, once the initial reception was over, night had come, and it was revealed that Gaara had organized for there to be gourmet steaks for the entire posse, and they were to be served Kankuro's favorite liquor and desert. This made the man a bit more enticed and relaxed, but he still couldn't get an uneasy feeling out of his mind. Even as his brother sung his praises at dinner.

"… And here he is now! My brother! Not many could survive Konohagakure's interrogation with his entire mind intact, nary even saying a word on their demand."

Kankuro lowered his fork, and grit his teeth.

_…Not true._

He and his brother hadn't had a chance to speak about what had actually happened to him in Ino Yamanaka's custody. They hadn't spoken, especially, about Kankuro's interrogation. It was hard for Kankuro to figure out a way to even admit to revealing details about Eden, and now that his brother had announced his innocence…

There was a loud applause, and Kankuro found all attention on him again. Gaara looked towards him with expectant eyes, and Kankuro had to look away, focusing on his fellow shinobi and trying to keep his face straight and his eyes calm. He noticed it in his brother's eyes before, it wasn't just jubilation and thankfulness that his older brother had returned, it was desperation. He didn't need anything to go wrong anymore, and Kankuro could tell. So, for now at least, he would keep his lips tight about what he had done. It couldn't have been a lot of information, and now that he was back in Sunagakure he could alter things to make the information untrue.

They ate and they drank until the depths of the night, which was when everyone went to retire. Gaara had made the others give Kankuro his own tent, a large one that was situated next to the trees, and was a small walk away from Gaara's own ornate and elaborate tent. Gaara and Kankuro were alone again when he showed him it, and Kankuro spent a few moments walking around it, simply appreciating that for the first time in a year he'd be able to rest soundly and without much interruption.

Until.

He noticed something odd about the location of the tent. Just outside the back of his tent, from which there was no opening, there was a tree that seemed like it had experienced struggle. The back of it near the bottom looked shredded and frayed, and there was a pool of dried blood on some of it's branches and near it's base at the bottom. He paused here, stopping his awkward limping, and Gaara quickly appeared behind him. Kankuro raised a brow.

"…What's this?" His voice had been shocked a bit from the struggle earlier, but it still came off as strong and didn't waver for a moment. Gaara placed a hand to his chin for a moment, before nodding.

"It is from a day-."

"Gaara, remember to use your contractions."

Gaara blinked.

"Right. It's from a day earlier and I, now that I remember it, this is where we were holding Shikamaru."

Upon the mention of the man's name, Kankuro began to feel a torrent of anger, and then, once he remembered how his face looked, a wave of… almost regret came to him. He looked away from the tree, and then frowned his face.

"I see… Gaara…"

"I shall- I'll get it cleaned up right away-."

"No… what did you do to him?"

Gaara turned to his brother, and his eyes narrowed. Now that he had a chance to think about it, he didn't sound jubilant at the exchange upon his treatment of him, nor did he seem pretty pleased with him now. He cleared his throat.

"… I treated him the way he needed to be treated. Let's not have any sympathy for him, Shikamaru's a son of a bitch and he got his just due under my care. I gave him a chance at the beginning to spill his secrets and be set free, he refused, disrespected me. So then sent men to give him a light torture, and I gave him a chance to be free again, but he decided to disobey me, and ran away. Upon his recapture, I gave him more and more chances, but he kept on refusing to even spill a word from his lips. I tried to send ninja to retrieve his son then, maybe that would make him co-operate I thought, but they never came back. I was at my wit's end with that bastard. I go to him, and I give him one _final _chance at surrender. He refused, so _**I **_beat him. He refused. I smashed his head. He refused again, and I took his eyes. He kept on refusing. Even after that session, he never spoke coherently. I gave him more and more chances at freedom, and then I gave him a chance at having a clean, peaceful death. But he kept on. He's brash, and his current situation is entirely his fault. He didn't have to disobey me. He didn't have to fucking run off with Temari, and keep her a secret for all these years. He didn't have to kill all those people at Weeping Sands. But he did. Now he's a wreck of a man, he's going to die in agony, and he'll never see his son, nor Temari, ever again."

When he had finished his splurge, the two brothers stood in silence for a long while. Kankuro didn't say a world, but he didn't need to. The emotions on his face said everything that Gaara needed to hear.

"…What? Do not- Don't tell me that you _care _about Shikamaru-."

"_**I don't. I don't give a single fuck about him. Quite frankly, he deserved much worse. But… it's you I'm worried about, Gaara. What you did to him doesn't sound healthy at all."**_

__Gaara threw one of his hands up in annoyance.

"This is coming from the man who-."

"You and I don't have the same _mental _history. And my torture gives results. My victims are telling me everything but their middle name by the time I'm through with them. But you said that he didn't tell you anything."

"So?"

"So? You know and knew what you had to do to him to get him to co-operate, and you didn't do it."

"Doesn't matter, he's as good as dead now-."

"_As good as isn't good enough. _He's still alive-."

"He's dying."

"And if he doesn't die, then what happens next? I'll tell ya; Konohagakure will get their greatest martyr. He'll keep coming for us, and he wont stop until we're dead-."

"_**He's DEAD. He will NOT survive what I've done to him, I assure you."**_

__Kankuro paused for a few moments, and looked his brother in his face. When he saw that Gaara's eyes didn't dare to waver, Kankuro backed down, and looked away from him for a moment.

"…Fine. This conversation wasn't about that in the first place. It's about _you, _Gaara."

"And I'm telling you, I'm absolutely fine."

"… Really."

"A thousand percent."

"Stop bullshitting me. You can't possibly be 'ok' after the shit you've been through. What _we've _been through." Kankuro closed his eyes, and the next words came out like an unwanted admission.

"…Temari's dead, after all."

Gaara didn't respond for a very, very long time, and instead the two brothers let a silence wash over them for a while. Kankuro couldn't help but think of what Gaara was going through, however. His eyes eventually turned back to his little brother, and he began to wonder. Did Gaara receive the same nightmares that he did? Did he also get the visions?

Or was he the only member of their family who was slowly going mad?

Eventually, Gaara stirred again, and placed a hand to his head.

"…I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me-."

"Lies, damned lies. Last time I checked, you don't handle loss well-."

"I handled it."

"I'm sure Shikamaru can attest to that-."

"**Kankuro.**"

Kankuro knew that it was many years since his brother had been an official jinchuiki, but he still flinched. He cleared his throat.

"… I don't care what you claim. When we get back, you're taking a good long rest from ruling."

"No I'm not."

"If you deny it I'll just go to the council and make it happen. Every Kazekage is allowed a few grieving periods. It was the one good thing that came from our father's reign-."

"I don't need it."

"Something tells me you didn't take it since you last saw me-."

"You'd be under too much pressure." At this, Kankuro chuckled.

"I've been sitting on my ass for the past year, it's time that I got back into the hot-seat."

"No, no, you need to rest."

"You think I'm lazy?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes.

"And you need to see your family again."

Instantly, Kankuro's' mood changed, and his mind brought him back to some other people that he had been neglecting for the past few months. He then looked at his brother, and grit his teeth. Gaara knew that he was doing, he was sure of it.

"…How have they been…?" His voice came off as uncharacteristically weak, and the Kazekage noticed. He walked behind his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Fine. Shiori's been… working I suppose. She's never cried in public, but I can tell that she's really missed you. And Okuni, well. She's growing up fast you could say. I mean, she's entered the Shinobi Academy already. I think she's almost done her first year now. But don't worry; she's been telling me that she's made lots of friends and is pretty popular amongst the girls…."

Kankuro raised a brow.

"…And the boys…?" He could feel his face heat up, but Gaara looked at him with confused eyes.

"Yes, them too."

Then, the father placed a hand to his face.

"Great."

"Huh? I don't understand- oh! I get it! I think I get why that's a bad thing…"

Kankuro shook his head, a bit embarrassed.

"Sigh, I guess I got to do some damage control then. But that doesn't mean that you're off the hook, not in the slightest."

"You're wasting your time brother. You'll find that I'm as sane as they come."

Kankuro rolled his eyes, but then turned himself around to head into his tent, finally letting the issue die. His probing and poking could wait until at least morning, he reasoned.

But in the meanwhile, he still couldn't help but worry.

Before he was able to open a flap to his tent, Gaara walked behind him and opened it for him. Kankuro was thankful for a few moments; he would've found it difficult to balance his body on the crutch while holding something up. He held the flap up long enough for his brother to make his way inside, and then Gaara leaned into him for another, quick hug Moments afterwards, the awkward feeling returning to the both of them, before Gaara quickly broke free.

"…I'm glad you're back."

His voice was quiet, yet mature and clear enough for Kankuro to understand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The trek back to Sunagakure was long, but thankfully Kankuro was given all the support that he required.

In the morning, Gaara had helped him replace the cheap crutch that the Leaf Village had given him with one made out of metal, promising that when they returned home he would be given something to replace his missing leg. After a rather large breakfast, the group of shinobi were on their way home again.

On their way home, Kankuro and Gaara spoke casually to make up for lost time. The conversation stayed pleasant and light, despite all of Kankuro's barely hidden concerns. But, he tried not to worry to much. Gaara was correct, he supposed, he deserved his rest.

As the trees they walked through turned into sand, the puppet master began to feel more and more homesick. Gaara did speak about his wife and daughter a few times, and the time that he had been forced to spend away from them made him impatient to return. When Kankuro became too tired to walk, Gaara slugged his big brother over his shoulder and carried him forwards.

Soon, the great walls of Sunagakure came into clear view, and Gaara called for the rest of their shinobi entourage to disperse, to go home and await further orders. That left him and his brother alone again, as the sun set from the sky. Gaara walked them inside the gates, where Matsuri had been waiting for him, and once she saw him she rushed forwards to push him into a tight embrace. Kankuro stood on his own for a while, and used the opportunity to chastise his brother for still being unmarried.

And that thought brought his thoughts back to his own wife.

Shortly after Gaara and Matsuri spoke, Kankuro began to wander away. Gaara gave Matsuri a small, yet passionate kiss on her lips, and then followed closely after him. He was heading to Sunagakure's evening farmer's market.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shiori's favorite type of flower was the desert rose. So, dutifully so, Kankuro bought it for her.

Her favorite type of fragrance was from a rare lavender that grew in the Land of Stone. So dutifully, Kankuro bought it for her.

Eggs, milk and bread running out in his home was a common occurrence, so dutifully, he also bought eggs, milk and bread at the evening market. Soon Gaara's hands were full of a multitude of seemingly useless things, but, like the dutiful Brother, Brother in Law and Uncle that he was, he carried them all without any complaints. As he picked things up, Kankuro couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Within a day he had made the previously horrifying Kazekage into his personal busboy. He grinned. He should get injured more often.

Eventually, the sun set from the sky, and Kankuro had bought everything that he felt he needed. The walk to the apartment where he had lived wasn't far from the market, and it was located in Sunagakure's richest district. Years before he had lived in the Kazekage tower with his brother and sister, but as he got older he needed his own place. It wasn't huge, but it was good enough and had been good enough for 2 adults and a child. It, however, was rather unprotected. There was no gate at the front, and it was hidden almost in plain sight. There were no trees in front of it, and instead of being wide and large it was tall and narrow. There were a set of steps that lead up to the front door, with 1 floor beneath it and two floors above. As Gaara and Kankuro approached it, they saw that there were some lights on.

Now it was time to figure out how to break the news to Shiori. In his mind, Kankuro dreaded her reaction, and dreaded what would happen once he re-entered his wife's life. Gaara had said that they had held a funeral for him, which meant that they thought that he was dead. It was a year, and she would've likely needed someone to help her raise Okuni. Had she moved on from him? Was there a new man in her life? And as for Okuni, would she ever really trust her father again? He had promised her that he'd never abandon her, and he had nearly gone and done just that.

As he took the first step on the steps that lead to his door, he froze with anticipation. He needed to get this right, he didn't want to disappoint them at all. He wanted to swear. He couldn't believe how hard it was to deliver good news as opposed to bad news. He couldn't. He couldn't be just like his fa-.

He felt Gaara place a hand on his shoulder.

"Go, brother. They've missed you dearly."

Kankuro closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He was right. And he had missed them dearly as well.

He continued to oddly wobble up his stairs, and when he reached his door he felt like he had just completed some grand achievement. He then braced himself, before lifting one of his fists and knocking on his front door, gently at first due to his weakness, but soon amping it up. He then waited, his eyes trained ahead, and looking directly at the door's peephole. He knew that his wife always looked through it before announcing that she was even on the inside-.

Wait.

Kankuro shivered, and then turned around to Gaara, who was still overburdened with gifts and food at the base of the stairs.

"Shit! Throw me up the flowers! This isn't going to look the way I wanted it to!"

Suddenly, the door in front of him opened, mere moments after he had knocked on the door. Kankuro ceased his prattling, and turned around to face the person in the doorway.

Shiori of the Hidden Sand. Dressed in her off-duty t-shirt and pants, her hair taken out of it's ponytail and falling down her back, her eyes slowly widening, and the scar still present on her eye. Kankuro tried to stand up straighter on his crutch, and, as he looked over her body, he felt something within him awaken that hadn't been there in months, and he felt his own eyes almost begin to water. Here she was. After all of his worries and all of his resistance towards Konohagakure, she was still here. Safe. Healthy.

He silently sucked in a breath.

"… Shiori… you haven't aged a day-."

Shiori rushed towards him without another word, and kissed him passionately.

Kankuro nearly fell off of his crutches, but eventually was able to compromise, as he wrapped both arms around her, bring her closer. Soon they were chest to chest, the only thing separating their bodies being their clothes. She reached her hands up to play with Kankuro's messy hair, and soon her hands travelled down to smooth his equally out of place beard. Her tongue entered his mouth, and he played with it in response. His heart was on fire. Her heart was burning. His mind wandered back and forth. Yes, this had been what he had been fighting for, all this time. This had been why his lips had been so tight-.

Except when-.

Almost abruptly, her kisses stopped, and she withdrew from him, placing her head on his shoulder. She then closed her eyes, and Kankuro took the opportunity to smooth his hands through her hair. He knew in this moment that he wanted to never leave again. The tears in his eyes grew heavy, but he couldn't let them fall. Meanwhile, his wife was making the shirt he wore wet with her tears.

"… I thought you were dead…"

Her voice came to him like a haunting banshee's, and he couldn't answer her. He could try and would try to continue to comfort her, his hands on her back and his head soon kissing her ear. She took a gulp, and then continued.

"…Gaara said you were dead. I believed him. I… I was so… proud. That you 'died' that way. I… but… I was so…. I was so… so lonely. I-."

She glanced down.

"Your leg."

"Shh… shh shh. Don't worry about it. I guess, that's just the price I've got to pay. For putting you through all of this…"

She sobbed, and he continued to hold her.

"…I'm sorry-."

"I was so… I accepted it. I accepted it. I… 'my husband died a hero' I kept on telling myself. 'He's in a better place now.' 'Okuni has someone she can look up to now.' And… I… I used to do this shit to you all the time. I thought it was karma. I thought you were getting back at me."

"I wasn't. I-."

"God. I'm just sounding… selfish, selfish as hell. You just got back from being interrogated for months-."

Her hand accidentally touched one of the scars on Kankuro's back, and he hissed. She paused, then kissed him on his neck.

"We should get you inside. I've got a pot of rice on the stove and chicken in the oven."

"Don't… don't rush things. I just…" Kankuro's hold on her turned into a grip, and both of their words faded away. There was no need for anymore of them now.

Time began to pass them by like a hurricane, and soon they both lost track of time. Eventually, after the clocks had died, Kankuro lifted her head a little to plant a kiss on her forehead. Then…

"…Daddy!"

And that was the moment that Kankuro's heart broke.

He looked up and away from his wife for a few moments to see his daughter Okuni rush down the stairs inside their home to greet him. At the top of the stairs she had dropped her puppet, and as she made her way downstairs he could see it follow her. Once she was on the floor that he was on, his grip on his wife ceased, and he knelt down on his one remaining leg to meet her level.

And when she ran into his arms, he finally knew what heaven was like, and his suspended tears finally began to fall.

Okuni placed her arms around her father's neck, and then let her own tears fall as she began to cry loudly. Kankuro didn't know what he could do other than hold her, and hold her tight. This had been the little girl that he had given his honour up for, and, now that he was back in her life, he knew that he would've done so a million times again, and a million times over. Even as she cried. Even as she wailed.

Finally, his paralysis was broken as he began to hear her words.

_"…You said one week…"_

Her voice caused Kankuro to begin to cry out loud for the first time in a long time. Silently, Shiori fell to her knees to embrace both her husband and her child, and the little family stood in their formation crying together. From the bottom of the steps, Gaara watched, helpless, but yet strong.

Then, he heard Kankuro's wobbly voice again.

_** "…Thank you… brother. Thank you for letting me see them again."**_

Gaara wanted to tell Kankuro that he would've done it again without a second thought, but he found himself, as he had been so many times before, utterly astonished by the contrast in Kankuros that he knew. Kankuro of the Black Sands, the World's Greatest Living Puppeteer, the Second in Command of Sunagakure. The loving husband, father and brother. A murderer. A lover. A heartless bastard. An over-emotional son.

His brother. And the only blood-relative that he had left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eventually, Kankuro, Shiori, Gaara and Okuni found themselves inside, where Shiori served them dinner.

It was a rather meagre serving, but in Shiori's defence, she had only been expecting her and her daughter to be eating it. It was served as quickly as she could, and therefore was hot to the touch, causing each member of the table to have to wait many minute before they could dig in. But they made the most of it. Shiori spent the time telling Kankuro of the progress that they had made on Eden, and Kankuro kept Okuni's attention, as well as her calmness, with asking more and more questions about her life at school. All the while, Gaara tried his best to allow he reunited to have their time. They had invited him in for dinner, but he still personally felt wrong about potentially interrupting their reunion.

"You keep saying that, but this could've only happened because of you," Kankuro stated. He was seated at the head of the table, to his right being his wife and to his left being his daughter. Behind his chair, Gaara could see his crutches rest.

"You ignored bullshit and stuck to your guns. Besides, you're my brother. You can come by for food or to chill anytime you'd want-."

"I know that you just got home… **but no swearing in front of Okuni, boss."**

Kankuro turned to face Shiori, and for a moment his face brightened. She narrowed her eyes.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothin'. Just that it's been a good long while since you've called me that. I've sort of missed that little nickname-."

"Shut up."

"Why don't you make me, sweetheart?" Kankuro bit his lip in a playful manner. Gaara blinked.

"Once again, Okuni is at the table."

The moment the reminder came back to him, Kankuro shivered, and then looked to his daughter. When she raised a brow in confusion, he placed a finger on his lips, and made a "shh" sound. She giggled back, and then finally began to eat some food from her plate. The rest of the adults did the same, before Okuni became curious again.

"…Dad? Can I ask you something?"

Kankuro rose an eyebrow knowingly.

"Of course sweetie. What's up?"

"What happened to your leg?" Kankuro placed his chopsticks down.

"I lost it."

"Yeah, I know _that. _But where and how?" Kankuro looked up, as if he was trying to find an answer, before looking at his daughter again.

"Do you remember how I told you me and your uncle were going off to fight some bad people? Back when I had to leave?"

"Yeah?"

"That's how. One of those 'bad people' took my leg." His right eye turned to Gaara, who simply sipped more of his tea. _Can we truly call her bad…?_

"Oh, ok! Can we get you a new one?"

"That's something that we're looking at sweetie. But don't worry about that. Until I get a new leg, me and you've got some catching up to do, don't we? How was your first year at school?"

"Mm… it was ok. I'm getting good marks in all my classes and I've met a lot of friends!"

"That's good. Have you started picking anyone out for your future squad?"

"I don't know yet it's only been a year. But I was thinking of doing something like you said you and uncle used to do. I don't have anymore siblings, but I could make friends. Then my squad could be like… a sand user, a puppet master, and a wind user! Then I could start to- Oh! That reminds me! You said at the beginning of the mission that you were going to find auntie, auntie Temari remember? So where is she? Did you ever find her? I-."

"Okuni, your father has just returned from a big mission. Maybe give him a few days before he answers _all _your questions?"

Okuni's large, brown eyes hardened, and her lips curled into a frown.

"Why not? It's just a yes or no answer-."

"**No, sweetie, it's not.**"

Okuni's eyes travelled to her fathers, and she understood that something was amiss the moment their eyes met. Kankuro's previous jovial appearance had turned into one of stress and pain, and his lips quivered. Within him, he struggled with himself. Would he tell her the truth? Would he lie?

Could he come to grips with what he had done?

…Not today.

"… I have to think about it."

"What do you have to think about? I think it's a 'yeah we found her' or a 'no we didn't find her' type of thing-."

"_**Okuni.**_"

The little girl crossed her arms.

"Fine. No more questions."

"I'll tell you when I know, Okuni. For now, let's just focus on school, and the other great things about our lives, shall we? After all…"

Kankuro gave her a sly smile.

"I finally know how the ending to the story of the princess…"

Okuni's eyes lit up, and she almost jumped out of her seat with excitement.

"Really?! How does it end!?"

Kankuro's smile simply grew.

"Oh, well obviously I can't spoil it. You'll just have to finish your dinner before I do that. And make sure that you eat _all _of it."

Okuni's eyes slowly moved to her plate. The broiled chicken, the fresh rice… and the broccoli.

"…Ew! I'll eat most of it, then you tell me!"

Kankuro frowned.

"Now… that's not our deal-."

"This isn't fair! I don't like broccoli!"

"I didn't like being away from you two for so long either, but I had to be. Sometimes in this life we've got to do things that we don't want to. And come on, they're good for you."

Okuni spent a few more moments pouting, and both her mother and her uncle began to stare at her. Embarrassed, she grabbed one of the vegetables into her mouth, and then, wincing, she began to shove them into her mouth. Between grunts and moans, she gave away an unhappy groan.

"The story better have a good ending!"

Kankuro laughed a little, and then resumed his eating.

"Well… I hope it does. Give me until your bedtime and I'm sure I'll remember."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kankuro of the Black Sands always had a great time telling his daughter bedtime stories, but since this was going to be his final session, it wouldn't work if he was only doing his regular work. No. He'd need to be at least ten times more entertaining to make up for lost time.

Gaara left shortly after Dinner, but not before being hugged by each of them. He had let Kankuro know that he was going to be placed on an enforce rehabilitation period of three months, and that he was to spend those days resting at home and catching up with the rest of his family. Kankuro reluctantly accepted, and once Gaara was gone, Shiori stated that she would meet him in their bedroom, brushing her hands on his good leg as she did. Meanwhile, Okuni had been almost ecstatic to hear the rest of the story.

So the two puppeteers rushed upstairs into her room, and as Okuni got into her pajamas, Kankuro put on his purple face paint and dimmed the lights. He reached into Okuni's sock drawer to take out his three little marionettes, all of them painted as the characters from his story. The hero, the villain and the princess. Each of them fit into the palm of his hand. He snickered to himself, and then as she climbed into bed ecstatically, he pulled up a stool and sat comfortable on top of it.

"Now, where were we? Do you remember where we stopped off?"

Okuni nodded fast and hard.

"Yep yep yep! The Princess just finished defeating the giant salamander, but she's injured! So the hero shows up, but now it's the two of them against the much stronger villain! So… how does it end?"

Kankuro threw each of his marionettes up into the air, and when they came to his level again he shook his hands to activate his puppet strings, causing each one of them to levitate in the air. Okuni clapped attentively, and Kankuro cleared his throat.

"Oh, how could I have forgotten? Right! So you see, the two, the Hero and the Princess, are about to go and fight the final villain. But you see, that's when the twist happens! Because as they travel to the villain's lair, they find that they have to go through the… um… the temple of visions! Yeah."

He quickly reached into his daughter's end table and took out a selection of black paper, and then quickly ripped it so that it would resemble a marionette. He lifted it up, and then began to twirl it around his hand before it floated in front of his hero and princess dolls.

"The temple of visions was controlled by a dark, dark man. We'll call him the vision-master. The vision master claimed to… um… he claimed to know about the past of the hero and the princess. So he split them up, and had them go through 2 separate trials, separate from each other. But the duration of their separation was long, 10 years, so long that eventually the two of them began to forget about each other. Instead, all they could hear were lies that were poured into each of their chambers by the vision-master. Each word that the vision master told him affected him more and more, but he held onto his sanity. It took him 10 years, but he finally completed his trials, and then moved into the princess' side of the trials. Once he was there, he hoped to escape the trials with her in tow, and then move on to attack the villain and finish him off once and for all."

As he spoke the story, his puppets followed, and so did Okuni's large and prying eyes.

"But… when he finally made it over to her side of the trials…" His voice paused.

"What happened?"

"Well, I guess I can't stop now, eh. Well it turned out that all this- that time, the Princess wanted to be with the vision master. You see, while the vision master had been torturing and tormenting the hero, he had been trying to, well, don't tell your mother I used this word, but seduce the princess. And it worked. The princess was madly in love with him, he had made the chamber he had trapped her in a home, and he had begun to spread nasty rumours about the Hero. When the Princess saw the hero, she instantly began to attack him, because she believed the lies that the vision master had told her."

"That's not right! Did the Hero try to stop her?"

"Of course he did. The Hero would've never hurt her, not even a little bit. He tried his best to not have to attack her, but in the back he could just see the vision master laugh. He didn't care about the princess, he simply wanted to get back at the Hero. The princess attacked the hero with everything she had, and eventually…"

Kankuro's voice paused, and his eyes narrowed.

"…. The Hero was forced to fight back. And when he fought back, he ended up hurting the princess really, really badly. The Vision master didn't do a damn thing to help her either. And when she died, he… just disappeared. Leaving the Hero all alone…."

"The hero was… shaken by what had happened. By what he had done. He would've given anything to go back in time and prevent her death from happening, maybe if he had prevented them from getting separated in the first place… then it wouldn't have happened. But… it happened. And now the Hero was alone. With two enemies on the other side of the war, with two people that he needed to get rid of in order to restore balance to the world…"

Kankuro then closed his eyes, and all of the marionettes in front of him fell onto the ground, making an ugly sound.

"…Never mind, precious. It looks like I can't finish this story yet. I forgot how it ends."

Okuni's large eyes slowly subsided, and she nodded solemnly.

"That's fine. I think it's getting late anyways, and I have school! So… when do you think that this story is going to be finished?"

Kankuro frowned.

"I don't know that. And I probably wont know for a long time…" His voice trailed off, and he began to get angry at himself for ruining his daughter's bedtime. That was until...

"That's ok! Take your time finding out the rest of the story, Dad." Then, she held out a small fist in front of her, offering it up to her father.

"…You just need to spend much, much more time with me from now on! And no more going away, not even for a little while!"

Upon seeing his daughter's naive optimism, Kankuro's down attitude couldn't help but rise. He gave her an earnest smile, and then fist pumped her.

"…Hey. How about this? Tomorrow is going to be Daddy-Daughter day…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time Kankuro made it to his own room again, it was late, and the house was deathly quiet.

When he opened the door, he saw that the sheets to his bed were opened on his side, a small lamp was on, and that his wife Shiori had put on her nightly clothes, but with alterations so that he could clearly view the more delectable places on her body. When he closed the door behind him and began to limp towards the bed, she immediately stood up, and moved herself to the edge of their bed so that she could pull him back into it with her. He was pulled off of his crutches, and soon he found himself on top of her. When their lips collided, he knew exactly what she had been planning.

They hadn't touched in over a year. In their relationship, the physical was extremely important, and they needed to rectify that error as soon as possible.

Eventually and wordlessly, Kankuro had gained the upper hand, and finished stripping his lover down to nothing. She made movements to do the same, but his skill in this made her vulnerable and soon she suffered attacked to her neck, stomach and breasts. When she had finally undressed him, she redirected her efforts back to his hairy chin and soft, succulent lips. He would soon have no more of her movements, and pinned her down on the bed beneath him, with his eyes pouring into hers.

For a few moments, they stood there, breathless and weak towards one another. Kankuro etched her face into his greatest memories, and hoped that no one else would peer. This was what he was fighting for. His beautiful, loyal wife, and his innocent little girl.

He'd gladly kill anyone who got in between him and them again.

His lips gracefully returned to hers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru struggled to keep his eye trained on Naruto.

"…Come on buddy. I need to know. Was it Gaara? Was Gaara the one who did this to you?"

All around his tent, Shikamaru could tell the atmosphere had changed. It had barely been six hours since he had awakened from his coma, and yet he had been overburdened with praise and attention. As far as he knew, most of his old friends had come with Naruto, and now they all seemed to glare at their Kazekage.

Sasuke especially.

"Are you serious? Who else could it have been-?"

"I need to hear it from his mouth. He was the only one of us who was there."

Shikamaru shivered, and then turned his eyes so that he was looking down at the bowl of hot noodles in his lap. He was still pretty weak, and so along with his medication, Ino had put him on a steady diet with the aim of giving him his body mass back. But he hated these noodles. They were disgusting. He would've called them 'troublesome' if he had enough energy to waste words. Nonetheless, he still reached to suck some of the food into his mouth, down his throat and into his cold, cold stomach.

Then he looked back up into Naruto's eyes and saw something that he didn't like.

_Pity. Embarrassment. _For the man who had beaten him, taken his eye, and tortured him into insanity. Shikamaru slowly raised one of his hands up to point forwards at his Hokage. Naruto watched his friend, and his eyes softened.

"…Take your time buddy. Take your time-."

** "No…No more… no more **_**fucking **_**begging for that man."**

All around the room, everyone abruptly stopped what they were doing. If they hadn't been before, all eyes were on Shikamaru Nara. He took a deep breath, and continued, praying that the machine Ino had him hooked up to would allow him to finish his speak.

"_**…. He…. he hurt… look at what… yes. Naruto… Yes. He… he did this to me…. He… He captured me… held me for… months… tortured… blood… my eye… my head….my legs… arms… hands… eye…. My head… my head hurts so… so much… Tem… he killed my Temari. He… he… go after… he'll go after Shikadai… he'll go after my son… my… God my head…**_"

Shikamaru took a deep breath in, and spent a few moments simply breathing. When the look in Naruto's eyes turned into one of acceptance, Shikamaru finished his thoughts.

_**"…Dead… I want him… DEAD. No more… no more BEGGING! I… I want him DEAD! And… I want… I want to be the one… I want to be the one to do it! Both of them! I…. I want them DEAD!"**_

__His voice had dipped and rose like his mood, and the yelling at the end caused Shikamaru to lurch forwards, holding his chest. Immediately, both Sakura and Ino moved to lay him back down, while the rest of the tent looked at injured man in awe. His mind truly had changed….

But what of Naruto?

Their heads turned to Naruto, who had closed his eyes soberly, as he mourned the death of his friend. When his eyes opened, they had the same conviction that Shikamaru's now did.

"…Then that's what we must do." Sakura and Ino had succeeded in calming the Nara leader down, but now Shikamaru laid on his back with his head to the side, his face flush with anger for a few moments, before he suddenly calmed down, and his face turned into a peaceful one.

"Gaara needs to be put down."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Please read and review, I seriously love reading your reviews! _


	52. Woke

_AN: I don't know how to start this chapter, so I'm just going to say enjoy! It's really meaty too._

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Shikadai Nara was supposed to be flying. Instead, he was falling, quite possibly to his death.

He was screaming and hollering for a while as he fell, watching the bottom wrung of the Nara Clan's forest rush towards him, before he closed his eyes and tried his best to race his mind back to some ways out of the situation. Then, as the threes at the bottom began to grace his cheeks, he opened his eyes and threw his hands out in front of him. His fall began to slow, and soon he was near the ground, and found himself able to comfortably land on his feet. The excitement and adrenaline from his previous fall began to hit him in his chest, and he soon fell to his knees with exhaustion. He stood there for a few long moments, before he heard another loud thud come from beside him. He looked up to see that Mirai had finally caught up to him.

"See? Told you you could do it."

Shikadai found himself extremely upset for a moment, but eventually let the anger in his heart fade away. By now, he had become used to Mirai's almost psychotic method of teaching, and wondered why he even reacted anymore. She had a way of pushing him to his limits, but always being able to intervene before he ended up seriously hurt. She extended a hand to him, and he stood up.

For the past few months, the two had been training for 5 days a week, for around four to five hours a day. Shikadai had suggested the long hours, and Mirai found it hard to deny the son of her first sensei. They usually worked on the simpler parts of being a ninja, but occasionally Mirai would give him a small "test" to check how his Wind Nature was developing. It seemed to be doing well; he was doing just a bit better than she was at that age, but she also made sure to make the training sessions on Wind as short as possible.

Because despite their agreement, Shikadai couldn't help but ask too many questions about his parents, and where his Wind Nature had even come from.

It had been a fair thing to ask, but every time that he did, she found herself unable to give up much information. And now, months had passed. In three days' time, it would be Shikadai's birthday, and he would be nine years old. He had been able to survive a year without his father or his mother, and was growing into quite the young man, even having a strong grasp on clan politics and economics. He acted more like a young man than a child now.

And so, Mirai made her move before the young man could even bring the topic up.

"…I'll tell you about your parents on your birthday. Remember that."

Shikadai stood looking at her with confused, yet pleased eyes.

"… About time. All that waiting was getting troublesome…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru hated Ino. He hated Ino so, so much. There were many, many, _many _better ways at administering him his medicine, and he was convinced that she had purposely chose this way to make him eat the most disgusting slop imaginable.

Each time he took a spoonful of it, with his hands still shivering and shaking from his previous disability, he could see Choji laugh at him out of the corner of his good eye. He grit his teeth, but then ended up rolling his eyes. Even getting annoyed at his old friend wasn't worth it for him right now; he was likely to rupture something else within his body. So he simply leaned himself back onto the cushion behind him, and placed the food down once he was finished torturing himself. The bowl was half empty now, anyways.

Ever since his outburst the last time that he had seen Naruto, most of the shinobi in the camp had him on high alert, and seemed especially receptive to helping him get better. He had mentioned in passing multiple times that he had wanted to return home as soon as possible, but everyone seemed to have been more concerned with making sure that his health was recovering, as well as giving him accounts of what had been happening while he had been held captive. From what he could understand, his son was still alive, well, and training with Mirai, having finally found out about his Wind Nature. His clan's finances were fine, but he had been able to deduce that Konohagakure was beginning to enter something like a recession, the increased war effort from Sunagakure during his absence and the multiple trade embargoes from the other Lands finally taking their toll on it's civilians. The more they told him, the more and more he longed to return home.

But he couldn't. And as much as he tried to deny it, he knew why.

It had been nearly three weeks since he had last left Gaara's "care", and yet his wounds were barely healing. The nightmarish scars that he held on his chest and back barely stayed closed under the bandages that Ino and Sakura had applied, and he would never get his eye back. He could barely stay sitting up for long periods of time, and he had yet to even be able to move his legs, although both his caretakers had assured him that they still could work, with time. Time. It was a recurring theme that everyone spoke to him about. He had been missing for a long _time. _His healing would take _time. _He needed _time _to rest.

He personally felt that he was wasting it. He had already been gone for far too long, and each day that he spent "resting" was a day that Konohagakure was without him. And he didn't need anyone to tell him what shambles it must have been in without him-.

"Stop stressing out."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow, and then his eye travelled to Choji Akimichi. The two had been speaking previously about things completely unrelated and the bullshit small-talk that they both used to hate as children, but grew to love as adults. How the flowers looked outside. How the weather was. Choji spoke a bit about how he and his wife were getting along, before he realised how insensitive it was to speak about her when Shikamaru was likely still grieving Temari. Now, the topic had changed.

"…I'm not stressing out-."

"How long have I known you for? Over thirty years. And you still think you can pull a fast one over me."

Shikamaru weakly shrugged.

"…You never were the sharpest… t-t-ool in the shed."

Choji narrowed his eyes, and Shikamaru smirked back. As long as he didn't call him fat, he would likely be able to make it past this day with flying colours. He took a deep breath.

"…Let's say I am. So what?"

"You do know that people who stress too much rarely recover from their illnesses, right? And it's even worse for you. How about… for once you just relax? We're all here for you, and we can wait until you're much, much better."

Shikamaru looked away from him, and then subconsciously tried to pull more of the sheet onto his body.

"We're still in the middle of a war… I don't… did Naruto sign a temp- temporary ceasefire? I don't remember. So as long as we're out here we're sitting ducks."

"Both Sasuke and the Hokage himself are here. I doubt they'd try anything, Gaara's powerful, but he's just one man-."

"Gaara is indeed powerful. And that's why we have to stop him, isn't that right, ol' Shikamaru?"

Both Choji and Shikamaru looked towards the opening of the tent to see Naruto stride in, relatively uninvited. This time, however, something was different about his aura, much, much different than before. For one, Choji could notice that his voice was ever so slightly deeper, and his eyes had a different and more focused look to them. His face wasn't in a somber tone anymore either, replaced with a more serious scowl. He regarded the two men quietly for a moment, before taking a breath.

"Was I interrupting anything?" Choji looked to Shikamaru, who responded.

"Not…much. What's going on?"

"I need to talk to you about something. But… Choji. I'm afraid that I need to talk to him _alone._"

Choji gave Shikamaru a rough pat on his shoulder, and then quickly left the tent. As Naruto came closer to him, and then sat by his side, Shikamaru's vision of him became clearer, and he saw that Naruto had also brought him a cup of warm tea. Shikamaru tried to move himself to sit up, and with Naruto's help he succeeded. He took the tea into his hands, letting it warm him, and then took a breath.

"…So… what did you want to talk to me about-."

Naruto raised one of his arms, and began to tap Shikamaru on his forehead.

"Shika… ol' buddy ol' pal… did you _really _mean what you said yesterday?" Shikamaru's mood darkened in an instant, and his next words nearly jumped out of his mouth.

"_**Yes. **_No doubt… no doubt in my mind." He then rocked forwards for a moment, and then closed his eyes.

"…Don't-."

"I wasn't. Not after what he did to you…" Naruto gestured towards Shikamaru's cup of tea, and he took a sip from it. He could feel his vocal chords become revitalized and better rested, and he took a shallow breath in.

"…Thanks."

"No problem. Sakura said it might work. I'll ask her to make some more of it, along with Ino's… err… "soup" it should accelerate your healing process. If you _really _want to do this, then we'll need to get you back to the village as soon as possible. I'm sure others have told you, it's not in the best state. And now that Kankuro's back with Gaara…" Naruto's voice trailed off.

"…S…s-sorry-."

"It's my fault that I sent you off on that damn mission in the first place. Don't worry about it. But… if you can... help me figure this out. How do we start mounting an aggressive offensive after we wasted the last ten years playing a lighter, softer game? And with our economies in shambles…"

His voice trailed off again, and he waited for Shikamaru to respond. The crippled man finally responded after a short bout of thinking.

"We'll need more shinobi… and I don't think that… unless things have changed, we don't have many shinobi left. So… we'll have to… a sneak attack… maybe." Shikamaru then placed his hands together in the usual way, and lowered his head.

"… Ino… you said that… she had been interro… terrogating Kankuro, right?"

"That's right. And hey, slow down. Just say what you need to." The Nara clan leader took a deep gulp in, and then continued.

"What did she find out…?" Naruto placed a hand on his chin.

"Lots of interesting stuff. A giant puppet, for one. And then some other uninteresting things, like squad rotations, finances. They seem to be getting into quite a rut themselves. And then, something else that might be of interest." He narrowed his eyes, and then slowly pushed Shikamaru onto his back again. "You'll need to be lying down for this one." Shikamaru resisted for a few moments, not liking being man-handled, before he simply gave in, and rested his head against the cushions behind him.

"Kankuro has a daughter." There was no rest between his words and Shikamaru's response.

"_**…Oh."**_

Naruto could see a dark red colour go to Shikamaru's face, and tried to move on without his intervention.

"From what Ino's told us, she should be around our kid's ages. She actually has a remarkable amount of information on her as well, and her mother. She apparently didn't want to tell me at first, but Kankuro got to a point where we needed something to use as an ultimatum against him, so we used them. He started to co-operate after that, so we can at least say that they're important to him..."

Shikamaru stayed quiet for a while longer, the heat inside his mind slowly began to process the information. At first, he was utterly shocked, but then it began to make sense. Time had passed for _him _as well, and it made sense that he had ended up in a position similar to his. But, upon hearing about the man's status, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger. Kankuro was a murderous piece of shit, yet he would be able to limp off into the sunset with a wife and daughter, while his wife had been murdered and he would never be able to be the same way as before to his own child.

But then again, he wondered. Was he truly all that different from him? He shook his head slowly. Either way, the name of the game had changed.

"… Do we have a status on where they are, and… status?"

"No, but once we get home we can put a team on them-."

"No… waste of Jonin. We'd need…I'm talking about electronics. We need to monitor them and then… use them."

Shikamaru looked up at the top of his tent, and then let out a long sigh.

"…Ti-tired… pass me a cig-."

"Hell no man. I'm not trying to get my ass kicked by both Sakura _and _Ino. Then walk home for Hinata to smash me in the face again." Naruto put up his hands and waved away, and Shikamaru raised a brow.

"Why would she care if I smoked?"

"Oh, she wouldn't. But to be honest with you, I think she'd be upset at all of this. Um, when I left for this exchange, I didn't tell her…"

"…You idiot."

"I know, I know. I guess I just didn't want her to tag along like Sasuke did for Sakura. Besides, there were a thousand variables. Say I didn't come back. Then what? I can't stand goodbyes." Shikamaru sipped some more tea.

"Just drink that. You've been nearly a year without a cig, and that shit's bad for your health. Anyway… sneak attack, get some electronic surveillance… and we need more shinobi. I'll contact HQ right away and let them know. Meanwhile, let's take a look at you..." Naruto surveyed Shikamaru's body for a few moments, then continued. "I think you'd need at least another week or two to rest. At the very least."

"What's today's date?"

"October 29th-."

Shikamaru spat out his tea instantly, and some of the still hot liquid fell onto his face. He then lunged forwards and up.

"That's… that's almost Shikadai's Birthday! Fuck… I'm not going to miss that!"

"Sorry man, but you're not medically healthy enough to even stand yet, let alone walk for a day and a half back home. And we're not moving without you-."

Shikamaru began to ignore Naruto, and tried his best to move his arms and legs. Adrenaline rushed through him, and soon he could feel his big toe wiggle, and then soon he could move his feet, if ever so slightly. He leaned forwards, and tried to push his body into a crawling position, but Naruto put a stop to that as soon as he noticed this, trying to push him back onto his cushions.

"Cut it out man! You need to rest-."

"Fuck I'm _not _going to miss his birthday! He's nearly had to go a year wit-without me! I… I can crawl I can at least crawl! You saw me!"

"And you nearly _died _afterwards. Shit man, _relax! _You can send him a card or something!"

"Stop trying to baby me Naruto! We don't have enough meds here anyway! And you can't tell me, after all the crazy shit _you've _pulled, that _I've _got to relax! Not after what I've been through! Just… justjustjust let me get back and go back to him! I can't hold you guys up while a war's going on, and I can't keep him waiting anymore!"

Shikamaru then suddenly fell forwards again, this time placing both of his hands to his chest. Naruto looked at him with upset eyes, but all the while he couldn't bring himself to protest further. He stared for a while, then he smirked, the smirk turning into a grin, which turned into a loud laugh. He removed his hands from Shikamaru's chest, throwing them into the air, and the other man narrowed his eyes.

"What's so fun-."

"How ironic. Here, you get the chance to finally _sit on your ass all day long _and you're complaining that you're _not doing anything. _What's the matter? I thought work was troublesome?"

Naruto's laughs echoed through the tent once more, and Shikamaru kept his gaze for a while, before he slowly began the process of sitting up again. He was able to do this more easily this time, and Naruto noticed this, and he got off his ass to stand up above him. Then, he pointed to the opening of the tent.

"Alright. If you can somehow get up _right now_ and walk to the opening of the tent, then we'll leave for home tomorrow morning. If you fall down, then you're staying here for a bit longer for your own safety. Sound fair?"

Shikamaru didn't bother answering him, and instead began to scramble to his feet. Every movement that his legs made gave him a jolt, but he was able to keep going. His hands scrambled for balance on the floor, but soon he was able to put himself on his hands and knees. After that, came the hard push, where he nearly fell back down again multiple times. But, it improved gradually. Soon, his back was straight and tall, and he was standing up, his hands held out in front of him for balance. His legs wobbled, and he was feeling a great amount of pain in his lower abdomen, but nonetheless he was up. Naruto watched him, and felt like clapping, but he paused. He just stood up. The real test came with taking steps.

The black haired man took a deep breath in, and then, bracing himself, he moved his left leg forwards-.

And the pain he felt with the change in pressure caused him to fall forwards, almost onto the ground, losing control of his body. He gripped his IV machine tightly with his left hand, and his knees fell out in front of him, preventing him from completely collapsing against the ground, and he let out a loud scream to punctuate his pain. He could see Naruto begin to rush towards him, but he wasn't completely paying attention.

_"Stop… God Gaara please stop-."_

_ "Did __**you **__stop?"_

Shikamaru was back in the torture chamber again. His eyes were wide, but the rest of his body was failing him. His lips were dry, but yet his mouth hung open, desperate to keep taking in air. Gaara of the Sand Waterfall was standing in front of him, and there was a wet blade at his side. Shikamaru could feel all of the wounds on his skin drip blood, and it was making him weaker than he wanted to be.

"_…Gaara pl-pl-please-."_

_ "I wonder how many of __**them **__did exactly what you are doing now. Begging for mercy."_

He raised the machete high.

_"Only to get ignored."_

The next time the blade met his skin, Shikamaru screamed loudly. He frantically placed his hands on anything that was around him, trying to maintain his balance.

He felt another pair of hands go to his arms, and he flinched and jolted.

"Damn! This was a bad idea. Okay Shikamaru, come on. We're getting you back down, alright buddy? It's going to be ok-."

"Why the _hell _is he out of bed!?"

"Ino! Shit, he said that he wanted to get home as soon as possible so I said-."

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck! Shikamaru can you hear me? It's going to be alright. Let's just get you back lying down-."

Gaara raised the blade to his lips, and then licked it slowly, all the while he watched Shikamaru writhe beneath him. Another voice entered the fray.

_"Sir, I think he's had enough."_

_ "We haven't. We sure have not."_

The blade fell towards him again, and Shikamaru let out a yelp when it made contact with his skin. He heard more scattered and separated voices, before he felt a great amount of heat come to his face.

He threw a hand out in front of him, and gripped whatever as in front of him. His eyes were held shut, and his lips pursed open to allow him to breathe as simply as possible. Pain. He took a few more breaths, then pushed himself forwards as much as he could, his mind rupturing in overdrive. He was disoriented, blood wasn't getting to his head. His hands gripped his IV, no, his hands gripped the walls. Ino and Naruto were trying to place him back down, no, Gaara was throwing his blade back at him.

He was still kneeling. No, he was still kneeling.

He coughed, and then reached his other hand out in front of him, catching Gaara's blade, gripping Ino's hand. He was still kneeling. He braced himself, his teeth grit, his teeth faltered and fell. His legs were strong enough to push himself up, it took his entire body for that singular result. He coughed up blood, he coughed up nothing. He let out a groan, he said nothing. Ino, Naruto and Gaara could only stand, paralyzed by the struggle they saw in front of their eyes.

He finally found his footing. He leaned heavier on the wall, on his life machine, and he pulled his feet up, putting his entire body weight off of him. The process took minutes, but, soon, the blade came back onto his skin.

But this time he was standing?

Gaara, Naruto and Ino stood staring. Ino and Naruto stood up, and for the first time in almost a year the three of them were standing at around the same height. Shikamaru's body sputtered, and his legs wiggled, them still getting used to the pain and pressure again. But he was able to lift his face, and his lone eye focused solely on Naruto, no, on Gaara. Gaara dropped his blade, Naruto rested his eyes on him.

Shikamaru took a few weaker steps forwards until he was able to stand at the opening to the tent, and he held onto it's flaps for dear life. But he looked up to all of those in the tent, and they could all each see his tongue move.

"…H-…h-home. Want to go-."

"We'll start heading back in the morning." Ino looked towards Naruto and nearly opened her mouth to protest, but he simply lifted a hand up to silence her.

"You'll get to see your son before his birthday. And after that, you will follow your medical advice, and _**rest…**_"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the middle of the next day, Shikamaru, Naruto, and the rest of the shinobi that had come to help him return were a good amount away from their previous basecamp, and were now all walking together back to their village at a comfortably slow pace.

Naruto had insisted to Shikamaru that this pace would be enough to get him home in time, and would also be comfortable for him to walk on his own. As of now, he was talking near the front of the group, with Naruto in front of him, and Choji and Ino flanking him on his sides. He was a bit annoyed by this, but eventually simply rolled his eyes, and continued to take small steps forwards towards his goal. He knew that the main reason why they had decided to walk so close to him was to look after his fragile health, and the day before he had done a horrible job at proving to them that he was fine. So, for now at least, he was going to be watched over.

He had been given crutches, just like he had seen Kankuro with, and they were helping him get along with his walking. His breathing was fixed by a portable inhaler that Ino had attached to his arm, and he had been given enough medication to dull the pain from his wounds for at least seven hours. Ino and Sakura were running out of supplies, but once they were back in Konohagakure they would be able to give him a more powerful quantity. As they had been walking, he asked them about postponing that dosage until after he had met up with his son again, and they had been in agreement.

Soon, the day of walking began to subside. It had been the 6th hour of walking, and Naruto had announced that they were going to set up camp, and that they were going to arrive in Konohagakure within the next two days. Because of his weakness, a few shinobi were elected to help Shikamaru set up his tent, while Shikamaru went to get his evening fill of Ino's disgusting medicine. A few grunts, growls, mean looks and a few pitied laughs later, Shikamaru was back at his tent, and everything around him was dark. He slowly made his way into the tent-.

But before he could, he heard a noise.

He turned himself around to view it, and his mouth hung open from what he saw. The area was dark, but yet he could still see her straw-blonde hair, and her soft teal eyes, the same ones that their son possessed.

It was Temari. She was leaning on a tree, and she looked exactly the same way that she had the day that she died.

Shikamaru's emotions were confused; the man didn't know whether to scream in terror, or be elated. She would make that decision for him shortly.

"…A sneak attack. Really. You think that that's going to work at this point?"

Shikamaru stood up taller, as if Temari was inspecting him for weaknesses. She was, in a way.

"We're running out o...f… resources. You've heard. I doubt we'll be able to last another five, ten years, and that's how long it would take for us to push their line back again. So, a sneak attack." He then paused, and narrowed his eyes at her.

"I've also ordered…. Kankuro has a family. I've ordered for them to be monitored."

"What are you planning on doing with them?" There was a long pause that swallowed the world around them.

"…Killing the-."

"_**If it comes to that, I will. But they're not my main targets. **_Gaara and Kankuro are." His face stayed firm for a while, but he could feel his heart ache when he saw Temari's saddened expression. Soon, she spat onto the floor in front of her.

"… You're seriously going to consider harming two innocent people-."

"His wife is a ninja as well. That's hardly 'innocent'."

"I know. But if you kill her, then you'll harm Kankuro's daughter as well."

"So?"

"You're going after people who are mostly unrelated just to get back at the ones you hate-."

"They did the same to me. I could give a fuck about 'playing fair' now." Shikamaru frowned, and then looked away, instead focusing on the tree behind her.

"I told you, you can't stop me, so why complain-."

"It's the only thing I can do. Gaara and Kankuro… they need to face the consequences of their actions. But if you think that I'm going to sit by and allow my husband to potentially murder a little girl… she's our _niece!" _Temari took another pause, and spent a few more moments looking over Shikamaru's body, most notably the large amount of bandages on the other side of his face.

"…You're not thinking straight, are you?" Shikamaru's eye twitched immediately.

"I am! Don't question me woman-."

"If you were, I wouldn't be here, would I?" Temari shook her head, and her eyes turned sad.

"…What were you expecting me to do? Give you my blessing to do all of this? I told you that you didn't have it."

"Then what do I have your blessing to do?"

"Go home. Rest. Heal. Spend more time with our son. Return to the war when you're healthy enough."

"I don't have the time to do that anymore."

Temari bit her lip.

"Every moment they're not attacking you have time to rest. So take it."

"You know that's not true. I don't have time to be _lazy _anymore-."

_**"Shikamaru, stop it."**_

Within an instant, Temari was gone. Shikamaru turned himself to his right, and watched as Choji slowly walked out from behind some other tents, and moved so that he could see him clearly. The man looked tired and ragged, but more importantly, he looked horrified by what had just transpired in front of him. Shikamaru's eyes softened on him, but his voice still grated as he spoke.

"…Stop what?"

"God… Sakura mentioned that this might happen to you."

"What might happen to me? I have no idea what you're talking about-." Choji raised one of his great hands.

"Just… stop. Stop denying it because you know exactly what I'm talking about. Sakura told me how bad your head injuries were, and what physical and emotional trauma could do to someone. And the fact that you've just been… different since you've returned. And what was this? Who were you talking to?"

"None of your business."

"Nobody was here. _I saw you, Shikamaru. I watched the __**whole **__thing! _Who has conversations with thin air!? They were right about you. All the symptoms are there now. Aggressiveness, mood swings, impulsiveness, anger, and now talking to yourself? Seeing things that aren't there? _**You're crazy, Shikamaru. You really, really are-."**_

"**I"M NOT CRAZY!"**

Shikamaru's voice echoed throughout the camp, and it took him a few moments to realise how loud he had been in contrast to Choji's rather quiet, if accusatory, tone. The camp was small. Everyone should have been asleep, but what if someone wasn't? Who else other than Choji had heard him?

He took a deep breath.

"…Goodnight-."

"No, this isn't going to end like this." Choji took a few more steps towards Shikamaru, so that they were within an arm's length of each other. "You're going to go in there. We're going to hook you up on your medication again, and then I'm going to have Sakura and Ino take another look at you-."

"I'm _fine_, Choji. Just tired."

"You're not fine."

"I am."

"You _just had a conversation with your dead wife."_

"People talk to themselves all the time-."

"Not the way you did. God... Shikamaru. You need _**help. **_So we're going to give it to you-."

"I don't have time for it and you're not going to make me do something that I don't want to do!"

"Shikamaru, we want to help you. So let us help you-."

"There's no time."

"S-."

"_**THERE'S NO TIME OK!?"**_

Choji nearly jumped back by Shikamaru's second outburst. Shikamaru gripped his hands together, and then tried to continue to speak.

"I'm supposed to just sit in some hospital all day and night and relax, is that it?! I can't do that, none of us have the time to do that anymore! Not while Gaara and Kankuro are knocking at our doors, threatening to kill everyone and ruin everything! I don't have time! This war's gone on for too long, and it's time to end it! And until then… you saw, man you SAW how EASY it was for them to get in our borders and kill Temari! How the fuck can you be so calm when those two are still out there!? How would you like it- if you stop me, don't complain if they do the same to you! If they're able to do the same shit to your family, if they can easily kill your wife-."

_**"Shut it Shikamaru!"**_

"So you don't want it to happen! Then you need to just let me keep doing what I'm doing then! You need to let me get back in time, you need to let me continue to work on the war! Or else I can tell you for a fact, that _**WILL **_happen!"

"You're trying to scare me and it's NOT going to work!"

"Do you want to risk it! Do you want to risk all of our families dying?! Just because you think I need to be fucking sleeping in the middle of a war!?"

"No! But I'm not risking it!"

"Yes you are! You need to stop it! I'm just a shinobi I don't need to be babied! Especially not now-."

"I'm _**done ARGUING with you!"**_

Suddenly, Shikamaru felt both of Choji large and heavy hands rest on his shoulders. Shikamaru was forced to look back at Choji. The man's voice came out in barked orders.

"Go back into your tent, and you'll _stay there _until morning. In the morning, Ino's going to give you some more meds, and you're going to be walking with _**ME **_back home. Once you get home, you'll spend the 1st with your son for his birthday, but on the day after, if you're not in a hospital bed receiving treatment again by the evening, I'm going to tell _**everyone **_about your fragility, you'll be considered too weak to serve and Naruto will _**discharge you. I'm not going to watch you die just because you want to fuck around with your health!"**_

Choji released Shikamaru then, and he walked away, angry for one of the first times in a very, very long while. Shikamaru spent a few moments standing still, letting the emotions that he had been given slowly fade, and soon he found himself feeling… nothing. He remembered Choji's words, then slowly turned himself in for the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On the morning of November 1st, on the 11th year of the 5th Shinobi War, Shikamaru of the Nara clan finally returned to Konohagakure after nearly a year of interrogation and imprisonment. And to greet him, the entire Nara clan had gathered in front of the village's gates.

When he emerged in front of the returning party, they all moved forwards to greet him, and some of the children had run to his body to embrace him, the younger ones settling on resting around his waist. His clan was a small one and had always been, there were thirty-seven members in total, thirty adults and seven children, not including his own. But yet, the children who came to embrace him still had trouble being able to each find a positon around his waist, and so some settled for hugging onto the others. Shikamaru instantly began to smile from the love that he could feel. Eventually, Saburo came into view, walking in front of the other adults and extending a hand in front of him.

"Welcome home, Shikamaru."

Some of the children who had huddled around Shikamaru, all of them being younger than seven, slowly panned away from him when Shikamaru made a few steps forwards to shake Saburo's hand at first, but then he moved forwards to embrace him in a hug. When he was finished, Shikamaru began to feel something crawl up his back, and turned his head to see that it was one of the younger members of the Nara clan, and that he had reached the back of his neck and was beginning to drool onto it. He turned himself to reach for the toddler and then held her in his arms until her parents came to collect her, thanking Shikamaru and welcoming him back home when they did.

The rest of the war party went into the village gates, while the Nara clan continued to congregate outside. They each spent a few moments hugging Shikamaru, and welcoming him back home, and at the end Shikamaru could feel his spirits revitalized. Saburo spoke to him about finances briefly, before Shikamaru began to notice something missing.

"… Thank you all for all of this… but, Saburo, where is my son?" Saburo nodded.

"We kept the fact that you were returning a secret from him. He'd… one moment everyone."

Saburo and Shikamaru moved to speak behind a tree and out of earshot of the others.

"Mirai's been telling us that he's been asking a lot about his parentage and more and more about the war lately, so she promised him that he'd learn about that on his birthday. So… we didn't tell him because we weren't sure if you were comfortable will telling him yet. With you back, he's going to want to hear everything from you-."

"I understand. So he's at school now, right?"

"Yes."

"And Mirai? Does she know that I'm alive?"

"Of course. But… she wanted to talk to you after you spoke to Shikadai. Today she's with her mother, she's fallen ill. She was planning on taking Shikadai out for his birthday party, but since you're back…"

Shikamaru nodded.

"I understand. I'm planning on giving him a quiet ceremony, just me and him. Besides, it's time that I told him about his mother." The gripped his fists, and then slowly an idea went into his mind.

"… I should get going. I need to get some things from home and prepare to see him again."

"Are you sure? We've actually organized a small pot-luck for you. Couldn't you at least spend the morning and afternoon with us, then see your son once he gets off of school? I'll see if Mirai can bring Kurenai as well."

Shikamaru paused.

"…I suppose. That sounds… fine. The Nara clan and my student. Sounds like fun."

Shikamaru began to walk off then, heading in the direction of the Nara Forests, but before he did he turned himself around again, and then rested a hand on Saburo's shoulder. The other man raised a brow. Shikamaru gave him a light smile.

"Thanks for keeping the clan in order while I was gone."

Saburo smiled back, but then he let out a sigh.

"Please just don't let it happen again, Lord Shikamaru. Lord Saburo doesn't sound right, and all of this responsibility is just."

"Troublesome."

"Troublesome."

They both grinned, and Saburo helped Shikamaru get back home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru enjoyed the pot-luck, but after the celebration he knew that there was still a lot of things to do.

Mirai had been able to come, and brought Kurenai and, strangely, Kakashi, along with her. She had explained that Kakashi had been helping her look after her mother, and after Naruto's old sensei had expressed surprise that he was still alive, he gave his condolences. Mirai had told him, between bites and sips, that Shikadai had unlocked his Wind Release, and about the questions he had been asking. She also expressed happiness that her sensei was still alive, but, like everyone else, was a bit concerned about his missing eye. By now, the right side of his face only held a black eyepatch over his missing eye, the rest of it displayed his scars like a savage work of art. He insisted that he felt fine. A lie. The two hugged, and then the night had went on.

Now Shikamaru was sitting in the room of his house, and was surprised that it had been dusted and cleaned, although Shikadai had made sure to avoid going into places that he hadn't been allowed to. He reached into his side table, and flipped through the pictures that he still kept of his family and his dead wife, before he found one that had been ripped apart.

It was a copy of the pictures in _A Complete Report of the Leadership of Sunagakure, 1__st__ to 10__th__ year of the Sunagakure-Konohagakure conflict. _But they were all together. It showed a younger Kankuro, Gaara and Temari hanging out and posing in front of a statue of a cat. They were all grown adults, yet Temari had taken Kankuro's hood, and was nuzzling his hair. Gaara stood awkwardly to the side, still not used to the sibling interaction. But they all looked… happy… in this picture that was taken long before Shikadai's birth, let alone the beginning of the war that tore them all apart.

Looking at both Kankuro and Gaara, Shikamaru became enraged. But he kept the picture to show to Shikadai, and continued to find more.

He found another one of a much younger Temari and Kankuro, both of them being toddlers. Another one with Temari helping Gaara apply Kankuro's makeup, in the back he could see Kankuro's unamused expression. And another one, this time it was Temari and Kankuro again, alone and standing by a statue of their father, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage. A final picture of Temari and Kankuro at Gaara's coronation. He had all the pictures that he thought that he needed. Him looking at the memories caused him to place his hands on his head, and he shut his eyes.

He felt another pair of hands hold onto his knees as he sat on the edge of his bed, and he looked up to see Temari standing in front of him again. He gasped, but then swallowed his surprise.

"…Where should I start…?"

She smiled at him, and then moved his hands to his knees, holding them in her hand now.

"At the beginning."

She disappeared again, but her advice was all he needed. He reached into another photo album, and began to take out even more vintage pictures, this time of him and her. A picture of his first Chuunin exams, standing next to his teammates Choji and Ino, his long dead sensei Asuma standing in front of them smoking a cigarette. Another one, a picture that his mother had taken while he was fighting Temari. Another one that his mother had taken of him giving up during the match. And then more pictures throughout the years. One of them fighting in the Fourth Shinobi War, a few pictures of them on missions together. His heart ached with every image, but he needed to tell the truth to his son now. He deserved to understand.

Eventually, he saw the clock above his bed tick to 2:30pm, and he left, taking his pictures with him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikadai was extremely anxious for the dinner party that Mirai promised him for his birthday. So anxious, in fact, that even after a long and boing day at school, he was running towards the spot on the playground that Mirai always met him.

But when he saw who was waiting in that spot today, it caused him to drop his bags, and look up with surprise, shock, and finally love.

The man was leaning against the playground wall, and even though he was in the shadows, Shikadai could see him clearly. Tall, but with 2 crutches right next to him, no doubt helping him walk. The right side of his face patterned with new scars, and an eyepatch to cover his right eye. His hair done into a large ponytail, a black beard that hung from his chin, a fair bit longer than he had seen it before. He was dressed in his dark green kimono, and when Shikadai was within arm's reach from him, he looked down at him, and the boy noticed a tear come to his one remaining eye.

There were no words for a long while after. Shikadai ran up to his father, and Shikamaru embraced him back, lifting his son with the small amount of strength that he had and resting him against his chest.

Shikamaru could feel his kimono become wet from tears, and he couldn't help but release the tears that were ever present in his eye. He was back where he belonged, with his son, the _king, _his legacy, his child, and the last remnant of his wife left in this world. This is what he had been longing for all this time, throughout all the beatings and all the torture, his near starvation and dehydration. The ability to return to his child, to continue to raise him up into an excellent young man. Soon, his hug subsided, and the love that he held for his child went with him, as he placed him back down onto the ground. His next words flowed like water.

"…Son…" Shikadai noticed that his voice sounded weak and strained, but he could still feel the tears in his eyes. Weakened or not, it was his father's voice, and he hadn't heard it for almost a year…

"Dad. I'm just so glad… I thought that you were… everyone thought that you were-."

"I thought I was dead too. But it's ok now… you're going to be ok. I'm here, I'm here…" He noticed his son's physique, and smiled softly.

"You've gotten taller."

Shikadai smiled lightly back, but refrained from asking his father about his new disabilities.

"I can… I can… Mirai taught me how to… I can control the wind now."

"That's a wonderful thing, son. It's another element that you have control over, and soon it'll make you a powerful shinobi. Much, much stronger than I. But… I hope you remember to find time to relax and et cetera. Being a ninja can be… well."

"Troublesome?"

"By the way, I'm going to copyright that word."

"You can't. Mom said that was my first-."

When he mentioned his mother, Shikadai's voice dropped. Shikamaru closed his eyes in remembrance, but then quietly reached into one of the folds of his Kimono, and took out the pictures that he had selected. He didn't show them to his son, not yet.

"…Mirai told me that you've been wondering about her, and you've figured out that we haven't been entirely truthful with you."

Shikadai nodded.

"…Are you going to tell me who she… who she was?"

"Of course. But first, I want you to tell me what you've figured out already. You're a bright boy, I'm sure you have at least some things figured out." Shikadai nodded again, and sucked in a breath.

"…Mom was a shinobi, wasn't she?" Shikamaru nodded slowly.

"…She must've possessed Wind Nature, because you don't." Shikamaru nodded slowly again, and then beckoned Shikadai to continue. When he didn't, he took a look around, and, once realising that he the two were alone in their area, continued.

"She was from the Hidden Sand Village. She was a candidate to become the 6th Kazekage in case anything happened to the 5th."

Shikadai's eyes widened, and Shikamaru began to fiddle with his photos, until he found the one of the three siblings playing around. He gripped his fists, and then closed his eyes.

"… There's something else that you need to know, and knowing this will help you understand _everything _about the war that we've been fighting for the past eleven years. We never told you because… we didn't want you to get hurt. Because this isn't just about your mother and her lineage. It's **your **lineage as well. You possess the blood of _**two **_powerful people, and you are an asset to _**two **_Hidden Shinobi Villages. Because… your mother is…"

He lifted up the picture to show it to Shikadai, and the boy nearly fell back from the revelation. His smaller eyes scanned all three people in the picture, their actions, and their similar pictures. And then, Shikadai began to feel very, very scared, very, very sick….

But oddly, very, very proud as well.

"Your mother was the older sister of Kankuro of the Black Sands, head of Sunagakure's Puppet Core, and Gaara of the Sand Waterfall, The **Fifth **Kazekage of Sunagakure. She was the daughter of the **Fourth **Kazekage, Rasa. This makes you the **Grandson **of the Fourth Kazekage, and the **nephew **of both the current Kazekage and head of the Puppet Core." Shikamaru paused, then let out a breath.

"…Needless to say, you're an extremely important child, son."

Shikadai pieced all of the information that his father had given him together, and, once he made sense of it all, he instantly fell back and fainted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Alright. In case you haven't been able to read my profile, I'm going to stop with my updates because I'm extremely busy and this is going to prevent me from updating this story on a regular basis. I'm going to try and aim for one chapter at month at least. I apologise for any inconvenience, but it's just not working out the way I planned. Thank you for reading, and please leave a review if you can. See you next time!_


	53. Truth and Rehab

_AN: Well, here's my late chapter._

_I don't have much to say for a foreword for this chapter, other than an apology for taking a while to upload. I'm still going to stick to a once a month schedule, and that's because I'm actually in University now, so I'm extremely busy. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as possible. _

_**Remember, I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Kankuro was running for his life. His pursuer walked behind him, slowly, but his feet made a hellish sound in his ears._

_ As he ran, Kankuro tried his best to remember the procedure when his little brother got angry. Step one, get away. Step two, hide. It was a simple practice, but today it was going to difficult to do. For one, Gaara was really, really mad today. One of the village children had probably pissed him right off, and Kankuro had been responsible for it. Worst still, on the way running away from him, he had slipped and sprained his ankle. His run now was barely a jog. And finally, it seemed that he was running out of places to hide in the Kazekage mansion. Most of the rooms that he tried to dive into were either too well lit or were being used as storage. _

_ Upon this realization, the boy began to cry. It was entirely possible that he was going to die._

_ Finally, he began to hear Gaara's sand snivel and increase behind him, and he took a chance at ducking into a room close by, and shutting the door behind him loudly. The room was still much too bright, but he couldn't and didn't care at the moment, instead moving to the back of the room, the furthest into the shadows and the farthest away from the door. He continued to hear footsteps outside of the door as he rolled himself into a ball and shut his eyes._

_ When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he screamed. Only for someone to cover his mouth quickly._

_ "…Kanky… Shh. It's going to be ok."_

_ Temari._

_ Kankuro opened his eyes slightly, and Temari slowly knelt to be beside him, and then sat herself down in the large space between him and the door. She heard the footsteps too. And yet, there weren't any tears in her eyes, only a show of sadness. When her little brother placed his head onto her chest and continued to lightly sob, she tried to hold her own emotions back as well. She wanted to cry just as much as Kankuro was, but she couldn't. That wasn't her role as his big sister._

_ "Shh… please don't cry-."_

_ "He's… he's going to get me! Tema please make him stop! I don't want to get hurt again I don't want to-."_

_ "I'm not going to let that happen to you."_

_ The two of them heard a shuffling at the door. Temari sucked in a breath, and Kankuro's cries became louder._

_ "… I promise."_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

In the middle of the night, Kankuro couldn't stop shaking.

By now, he was used to doing what was now. That was, waking up in the middle of the night after drowning in the horrors of his reality, spending minutes, sometimes hours, awake reflecting, and after struggling for long enough, closing his eyes and finding a temporary peaceful slumber. Today's interruption, however, was different. Because when he awoke the woman on his chest woke with him, and for the first time in a long while, he had a companion to his madness.

And that companion knew exactly what he was going through.

"…Nightmare?"

Kankuro nodded, and then held onto her tighter. The two were still very much naked from the night before, and he appreciated how close she was to him. Her eyes looked up to his, and stilled her breath.

"… Tell me everything-."

"I don't want to."

Kankuro cringed at his voice, it had come off as unnecessarily harsh and divisive. Before he spoke again, however, she had beat him to it.

"… Then please… _rest. _You've done so much to get home, and I don't want you wasting all your time here worrying. At least, not right now. Alright, boss?"

Kankuro's worries were momentarily shattered by her expression, and he chuckled at it. She was confused for a few moments longer, before she caught on, and punched him lightly on his chest.

"Laugh all you want, but it's true. You're still alive, so you're still the head of the puppet core. Tomorrow you get to boss me around-."

"Nah. That wouldn't be a fair relationship, now would it. Besides…" He lowered his hands on her body, and Shiori gasped.

"I get to boss you around plenty enough in bed."

"Oh, whatever! You know that I only let you do that today because you just basically finished getting out of prison."

"Right, right."

She reached her own hands lower, and Kankuro jolted from his position under her.

"So… when are you going to return the favour?"

"Sometime between never and never ever."

"'Never ever?' Did me fucking you that good make you revert to a five-year-old?"

"Why is that talk for a five-year-old kid? It's got proper syntax and everything."

The two bickered back and forth for a short while longer, before they ended up laughing at each other's ridiculousness. The mood died back down, but Shiori could still feel Kankuro's stress and guilt. She steered he conversation into a more serious water.

"… I know what you were having nightmares about."

"Yeah, _you._"

"I'm being serious Kank, cut it out."

His voice and face both sobered.

"… Did Gaara tell you what we did-."

"He told me everything… eventually that is." She let another pause come in between her and her next words.

"…She was a traitor. You did the right thing-."

"That's easy for you to say_**. She wasn't your sister**_."

"It _**was**_ easier for me to say, but _**it had to be said**_. She was… damn, how old was she? Thirty? She was a thirty-year-old _**woman **_when she made her decision, and she damn well knew the consequences. But every time you, or Gaara talk about the incident-."

"I shouldn't have had to do it nonetheless."

"If it wasn't you, it would've been someone else. And considering who she had been before she left, do you honestly think her fate would've been better? Do you think that she wouldn't have died had someone else found out about her sin?"

"…"

"Do you honestly think she would've been able to die peacefully knowing that she hadn't been able to see her brothers again-."

_** "That's enough."**_

Kankuro turned away from her, and then slowly sat himself up, placing his back against the headboard of his bed. He focused his attention at the door in front of him for a while, trying his best to avoid his wife's words, before he finally became lucid again, shaking his head slowly.

"…Maybe. We'll never know now."

Hearing the distress in his voice, Shiori awkwardly placed a hand on his shoulder, and moved to get off of him, but still she kept her hand in the same position for mutual comfort.

"…Like I said, don't beat yourself up too much about it. Just… I don't know what to say-."

"Then just shut up. I'll handle this on my own."

Shiori looked hurt for a few moments, before moving herself back underneath the sheets, and following his wishes. A quiet reassurance that she would always be beside him was the last thing she said for the night, and soon Kankuro joined her uneasy slumber.

Freedom wasn't free.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikadai woke up to the smell of tea being placed in front of him, and upon his favourite drink re-entering his life, his eyes snapped open. When he looked forwards, he watched as his father sat himself down on the other side of the table with his own cup, and then slowly leaned forwards.

"Are you alright?"

Before answering, Shikadai looked around the area. The two were seated in the dining room of their house, and quick reasoning and thoughtful deduction helped Shikadai realise that the two were alone. The clock on the fridge said 8:00pm, and his father had taken off some of the clothing he had been wearing, so now he was just wearing his pants and a light undershirt, allowing Shikadai to see all of his bandages, and some of his revealed scars. He still kept the eyepatch on his missing eye and hadn't taken off the heavy bandaging on his ear, however, and despite that fact that he was sitting, Shikadai noticed that his father was shaking, his hand making noise on his own cup of tea. When he noticed that his son was staring, Shikamaru frowned, then increased his efforts at staying still and calm.

"Sorry. It happens. Anyways… are you feeling any better-."

"How?! How is any of that possible?!"

The words flew out of Shikadai's mouth like a recently freed bird would it's cage, and he stood up to accentuate his noise. Shikamaru blinked, surprised, then began to lightly tap his cup again.

"It's… a long story. So long that I have to start at the beginning. But… it's going to be a drag. Are you willing to stay _conscious _throughout it this time?"

Shikadai blushed, and Shikamaru let himself laugh at his son's embarrassment. Then, the boy's eyes were drawn back towards his father's shaking hands and dis-repaired body.

"…Can _you?_"

Shikamaru kept his eye steady, and snorted.

"…I'll handle it. I'll… get through it. There are those in this war who have worse scars than me, I'm sure."

"I haven't seen them." After the remark, Shikadai let the topic die. "…So… about Mom…"

Shikamaru took a deep breath, and then, preparing his emotions, let lose the floodgate of emotions that were associated with memories of his wife.

The man went through everything, and spared no hidden oddities or crevices of the beginning of their love, all the way until the end. He began with telling him about how he met his mother at the Chuunin exams, to his failed Rescue Mission, and then about all of the missions they had together since. Then, the war. The devastation. The fight against Madara. And, with a struggling disposition.

All the times she had saved his life.

"Where do I… start? There was the rescue mission. If she hadn't been there… I would've been killed. Then, that time with those sealed guardians. Would've been… dead. Then, the entire thing with the war, during the war, after the war with that illusionary man, just… countless times. So… well... after the incident with that guy… I asked her out. Back then we had known each other for long enough, we had spent enough time together as ambassadors and fellow exam proctors, and I… well I felt something for her, something real. So I asked her out. She was the first and only woman I had ever done that to…"

Shikadai blinked. Throughout his father's account, while he monitored his health, he had become more and more invested in their love story. By now, he was leaning over the table and resting on his elbows.

"Well? Did she say yes?"

"Well, she said it was troublesome first…"

"Heh."

"But then she accepted. And then we just… went on from there. Lots of dates, sleeping over at each other's houses. Just getting really close to each other."

"Did you get close to her brothers as well?"

Shikamaru stopped thinking, and soon Shikadai began to feel embarrassed and guilty for even asking, considering their circumstances.

"…I'm so-."

"No. You know what? I did. I did get close to them. They were guarded at first, obviously they knew what their sister going out and dating meant, but eventually we were as close as blood."

"…What happened?"

"I'm getting to that. Anyways, things were happy around the world for around ten years. For the most part. My generation found itself responsible for rebuilding the world, and that prevented us from being able to fully settle down, and prevented me from marrying your mother for years. Although, she didn't mind. And we kept telling ourselves, eventually our day would come. Eventually, once the rebuilding efforts were finished, over and done with, we'd be able to settle down the way we liked to. I'd take more local missions, and she'd sacrifice some time, and then maybe we could have a child or two, raise them up properly in the new era of peace that we'd found. Your mother's… well… your grandmother had died when your mother was very young, and so that was… very important to her. Her being able to give you a good life, with active and caring parents." There was a pause, and then a deep sound of regret from his mouth.

"That all changed a little over 11 years ago. That was when the war started."

Shikadai left his relatively relaxed stance, and then stood up in his chair.

"…"

"It was a mess, through and through. In January, Sunagakure underwent a deadly terrorist attack against it's civilians. To this day, we don't know who committed the attack. All we know is that it was bloody. Children were killed in their sleep; adults were killed in the street. I wasn't there for the attack, but your mother was. She described a huge portion of her village suddenly catching fire, and then soon after the poorer districts faced severe explosions. The culprits did their job well, and by the time that the sand shinobi could apprehend them, thousands had been killed… heh. "Apprehend." They weren't able to. They just found a bunch of dead bodies around where some explosions had gone off… the perpetrators wearing… well…"

Shikamaru weakly pointed to the headband that he was wearing on his arm. Shikadai gasped.

"No…"

"Yep. Immediately, we were blamed, and tensions rose between the two villages. The majority of Sunagakure's council blamed us for the attack, but Temari and her brothers stayed neutral. We denied the allegations immediately. Why would we ever do something to harm our allied village? About three weeks after the incident, Kakashi, then the Hokage, sent me and an entourage personally to Sunagakure to fight the allegations and claims, along with documents showing that we never scheduled the attack. Why would we do so? I… I can remember how the members of the council all looked at me as if I was a rat. Your mother saw me after the meeting, promising me that she, at the very least, believed our innocence. I left before either of her brothers could see us together again, on the way home kids threw rocks at me in the streets."

"I thought that our facts would eventually shine through, and around a week after that Gaara had sent me an email explaining that he was looking into our proof. Literally a day after, we hear that a similar set of attacks happened in Sunagakure again, and once again the perpetrators were found with our headbands. We refuted the allegations, and then began to investigate the true perpetrators. A week after that, they happened again. More and more hatred was thrown our way, Gaara and Kankuro, previously neutral, had begun to take the side of the ones blaming us. At this point, I hadn't been able to speak to your mother in many weeks. I was panicking; things were beginning to get bleak between the two villages, and I knew well what that meant for the future between your mother and I. So shortly after the latest round of attacks, I went to Sunagakure unannounced."

Shikamaru coughed, and then took a sip of tea.

"I arrived in the middle of the night, but I didn't waste any time. At that moment, time wasn't something that me and your mother had. So I… went to her home and just slipped in through the back window. At the time she was living alone, so I wasn't expecting anyone else to be there. But when I continued to walk through her home, I ran into her middle brother, Kankuro. The moment he saw me there, standing in front of the door to his sister's bedroom… well, he let me have it. He instantly threw me up against a wall and then began to blame me over Temari still believing in my village even though, to him, we were all liars and had no real proof that it wasn't us. That he was going to kill me personally if I got any closer to his sister, and that I'd better return to my village and prepare for the worst. I was shaken, of course, but I didn't say a thing. His attitude made sense, people had been dying rapidly throughout the year, and he was like a prince to his village. He loved it, and they loved him. Back then, his actions made sense…"

Shikamaru paused.

"… I think I need to explain more. Temari, you mother, Kankuro and Gaara, your uncles, they were… close to each other and almost closer to their village. It's hard to explain. I mentioned earlier, when Gaara was little, the influence of Shukaku had made him a monster. This made him estranged from everyone, his father _and _his two older siblings. And since the old Kazekage was estranged from his own children, and had been since his wife's death, Kankuro and Temari grew very, very close to each other, and to the village that gave them friends, activities, escapes and food when no one else would. When Naruto defeated Gaara, Gaara was able to reconcile with his siblings, but his relationship with either one will never be as close. I just think you keeping that in mind will help you understand."

"Eventually, he got even angrier at my silence, and he would've actually hit me in the face if Temari hadn't exited her bedroom to interrupt us. Once she was on the scene, he berated Kankuro, and then berated me for coming unannounced. But, she still invited me into her room, alone, and I just… begged her. Begged her to find a way to stop what we both knew was coming. We spoke about our proofs, we spoke about what was happening to her village, the one that she loved as much as I loved her. There were pauses, when we would talk about other things, things we both loved, occasionally just so that we could both try to ease our minds off of things, but then our realities would always return, always harassing us and making our feelings hollow again. We both knew what was coming, and we needed to prepare for it. Negotiations were faltering, extremist groups were gaining attention in Sunagakure and the Kazekage would be forced to address them, and… well. It would be a war. And since we were on different sides…"

"We spent the night together, but neither of us reached any conclusion with each other. The only thing I could say was that I loved her as I loved my village, and I said that over and over again. She would reassure me that she felt the same, but she couldn't promise the future. He led me to the gates in the morning, with Kankuro not far behind. She gave me a kiss goodbye, but didn't promise to stay in touch. How could she? I walked a few paces away from Sunagakure, before Kankuro told me if I tried to talk to Temari again, he'd personally be the one to kill me. Then I…. well, what do you do at that point? I wanted to turn around to say something, but I… I guess I didn't have the guts to. So I ran. I just ran until I was home again."

"The next few weeks were distressing for me. Kakashi tried to have operations go on as normal, but eventually the fallout of Sunagakure's accusations and other evidence was used against our village. You wouldn't know this, but before the war the world was united in a shinobi council, and we looked after each other as if we were all one extended village. The attacks and allegations changed that. Our village began to rapidly favor with the others, and soon the organization began to dissolve. You probably know the order. Kumagakure stayed on our side for the longest period, likely because of our ties and friendship, but eventually they too succumbed to their own thoughts. With all of our potential allies now alienated, the conflicts between our villages began to rise and rise and rise. Our proof relied on us being able to prove that it wasn't our village. We had our reasoning, but we still didn't know _who _had been the one to order the attack. All of my personal research, as well as the research that other shinobi had done, lead us to believe that the issue came from within Sunagakure. But when we brought this up… it wasn't taken well. Members of their council called for _my _death in particular, for continuing to deny my village's involvement in the deaths of so many people. I refused, and my Hokage didn't give me up either. A long radio silence occurred over a period of three weeks, and after a week we had a feeling of what it meant."

"So that was when I was forced to finally accept what was going to happen to the village. I and the rest of the head Jonin were briefed, and told explicitly to prepare for the worst. Our defences were risen, and we began to create weapons for the war. Most people went to solidify their relationships with their families. I didn't. At the time, I was the only member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to not be married, and the only one out of my friends group as well. Because, well, my love was in Sunagakure. What was I going to do? It was a question that stung my mind for the days leading up to the war. The circumstances had left me completely hopeless. I… I knew what would happen if we were left on different sides of the war. We would both be…"

Shikamaru finally took another pause, and then continued.

"... I asked my mother what the best course of action was, and I ended up electing to try and get in contact with her again. I knew that every other method of communication would've been watched, so… I wrote her a letter. In that letter I proposed to her-."

"Aww…."

"Mhm, I know. Your mother didn't find it too 'cute'. What did she say… I asked her, in the letter, to meet me in a certain, hidden away place if she wanted to really… marry me. I went there, alone, armed with absolutely nothing on my body, and simply waited for a long time. Alone. I hadn't even bought a proper ring for her, but I hoped that she'd come. If not to come with me… to at least see me again. To kill me, if that's what she wanted. At the time, I just didn't have much to look forwards to. It was hours until she showed up, and when she did… She immediately went to bash my method of proposal. When she walked away with me I almost cried tears of joy. Whatever she had went through, whatever… it's just… she ended up choosing me. _Me. _The pitiful crybaby. Over her own village. I just…" His voice trailed off, and a warm smile went to his lips. It quickly faded.

"But then… shortly after we returned to my village… we were told by Naruto that the war had started. And that… was how our marriage began. With a war breaking out between our villages, urgently. Within the month, I had been able to organize a wedding for the two of us, and after that, we fell into a routine. I was the only one who could fight on a battle field, but from time to time your mother would assist my village in it's strategic preparations, and she became a regular face at the war table. She wouldn't have left them if she didn't believe of our innocence, and I promised her that I'd spare Sand shinobi where I could, and that I would take extra care not to directly target her brothers, and to try not to antagonize them as much as I could. We also made careful to let it be so that no one knew that she was here, let alone that we were married. Her names were stricken from any records that we had of her, and she came to be considered 'missing' or 'dead' in Sunagakure. She couldn't' leave the village under any circumstances, and every shinobi in the village was given a seal to prevent them from speaking about her to the enemy, even if they wanted to. Despite all of these setbacks and rules… your mother… she never _showed _me that she was upset about them. We simply went about our days, and in the beginning her and I were able to spend lots of time together. One day, you were born, and that… was the happiest days of our lives. We promised to protect you with our lives, you were the… well… you were proof of _us. _If we were dead and gone, with all of our remnants rotted away, you were proof that we were once together… That we really did love each other…"

Shikadai momentarily felt a warmness in his heart, and seeing his on go red, Shikamaru smiled back as well. But, the moment couldn't last. There was still more to tell him.

"… But of course, that made things very, very dangerous. For you, me, and your mother. To begin, as the son of the leader of the Nara clan, you were instantly a target, no matter who your mother was. Then, you were the son of the chief of shinobi for Konohagakure. Grandson of Shikaku Nara. But then, your mother's bloodline came into play. You were the grandson of the 4th Kazekage, unknowing nephew of the 5th, and by all accounts had a place in line for the title of Kazekage once you got older. You're essentially royalty for two villages. Needless to say, your mother and I were sleepless for the first nights following your birth. We edited the new records showing that Temari was your mother, then Temari entered a fierce vigil, keeping lose track of everyone who visited the Nara forest. I set up traps and surveillance. There'd be no cracks. The less the world outside of Konohagakure knew, the better. You… were already a target because of your parentage…"

Shikamaru took a deep breath. By now he had been talking for a good long while, and he sipped back a deep draw of tea to celebrate the occasion. Shikadai noticed this.

"…Do you want to continue later-?"

"I might never get the chance to after tonight. The war went on, and on and on and on, and the two of us began to lose hope in there ever being any real reconciliation, or at least one between I and her brothers. Eventually… there was an… incident with me and a particular village in the war, and that just intensified their hatred for me. By that point, it was almost certain how it was going to end. Either I was going to die, or they were. This tore your mother to pieces."

He took a breath.

"…But then, at the beginning of the 10th year, things became to be peaceful on the fronts again. Sand and Leaf shinobi would meet in the middle of battlefields, and the Sand would be ordered to not do harm to us. This lessened the bloodshed. Soon, we tried to enter negotiations again for the first time in four years, and we were told that a delegation would be sent to discuss the future status of our war. Needless to say, there was a great joy among the ruling Jonin, and especially between your mother and I. You were 7, you should remember this, and there was just… so much renewed hope. I think that's what it was. The realization that the things that we dreamed about might soon become a reality… The end of the war. The return of the council. No more fighting, just unity. Just peace. That's all… that's all we ever wanted. Peace in our world… for our children…"

"… And then, Gaara and Kankuro attacked me the night after my 10th wedding anniversary. And… I'm sure you know the rest…. That's all you need to know. About the beginnings of the war and your true heritage. At least now you have some idea of what's going on." He then finally leaned back into his chair, took a sip out of cup, and took a few moments to close his eye and pause.

Shikadai didn't prod him, and instead found himself undergoing his own reflection of what he had just learned. Things were beginning to make sense for him, from all the days that his mother asked him to be careful before telling people who his mother was, to the times a livid conversation between is mother and father would be quickly ended the moment that he was in earshot. With horror, he slowly realized why the Kazekage had shown such an interest in him before, and why a task team would have been sent to his home. After a long period of quiet, he finally remembered that his father had given him some tea, and went to drink some, and the sound of him slurping seemed to have roused Shikamaru from his nap.

"…Do you have any questions?"

By now his voice sounded tired, but he still leaned forward again, showing that he was attentive to his son's needs. Shikadai thoughtlessly let his first question flow from his lips.

"… Do my uncles want to hurt me?"

Shikamaru took a moment to think this over, slightly swaying back and forth in his chair, before coming upon an answer.

"…If they did, they're doing a horrible job at it. No, they probably just want to take you back to Sunagakure with them, and raise you as their nephew and Temari's son. It would work for them in many ways, not only would they be able to take me out, deprive the Nara clan of it's heir and destabilize Konohagakure, but they'd be able to have their nephew in their lives and would be able to make up for what happened to Temari. The thing is… I don't think they _hate _you, Shikadai. All you did was be born, you haven't done anything to make them hate you. I think they _love _you. You're their sister's only child, and by birth you're part of their family. All three of them lost their parents when they were younger, either by death or by abandonment, so it makes sense why they're invested in you. Mm… they do. They do love you. But them potentially _kidnapping you_ and _killing me _is how they're going to show it." There was a pause.

"And I wont let that happen. Promise. Do you have any other questions?"

For a few moments, Shikadai debated on if he should have told his father about Gaara's attempted kidnapping, but seeing the way his father slowly made his way through the conversation, he decided to tell him another day.

"…Why did they kill Mom?" Shikamaru's silence now was longer, and he made sure to take a deep sip of tea before he answered.

"… I shouldn't have ask-."

"Like I said, they were trying to kill _me, _when she came out in front of them and saved my life. The anger that they showed her, and all of that aggression? It was meant for _me_… I don't know. I'll never know why. But I know that they'll pay _**dearly **_for it." He then cleared his throat, his voice slightly escalating on the last sentence, and his body shaking a bit from the anger.

"…Anything else?"

"What happens now?"

"… I'd be lying if I said what. Starting tomorrow… the higher ups requested that I admitted myself into a hospital for my wounds. It shouldn't take me much time to be able to… well get back to work. After that…. I don't know Shikadai. But I have to fight this war. And I have to fucking win." There was another pause, and Shikadai watched uneasily as his father's face contracted, before his voice took another tone.

"… But I also have to make sure that I spend time with you, and I'm sorry that before I wasn't able to. While I'm in the hospital, feel free to come by every once and a while, and once I'm out I need to start teaching you the shadow possession Justus. On our off times… why don't we see a movie from time to time? Play a bit of shogi? You know, just me and you."

Shikadai smiled a bit at the suggestion, although there was a sadness behind his eyes.

"…Why not now?"

Shikamaru wagged his finger, and then slowly moved to stand himself up. Shikadai noticed that he took a lot of time to do so, and cringed at the view of his father struggling to meet his own feet. When he finally was able to stand up, Shikadai moved quickly after him, and father and son moved into the back courtyard to play the game that they both enjoyed.

Two hours passed, and the sun faded from the sky. The game, as per usual, ended with the elder's victory, but during the game Shikadai wasn't completely himself. It was because he noticed that his father wasn't either. From his frequent weakness (multiple times, his reflexes would leave him and he would end up dropping pieces onto the board, or one of his limbs would spasm uncontrollably) to his failed attempts at being warm when in the years before he had been successful, it was clear that whatever his father had went through had changed him. Throughout the match, Shikamaru's account flowed through his son's mind, and he tried to keep the uncomfortable feelings to himself. At the end of the match, Shikamaru struggled to stand again, eventually requesting some help from Shikadai, and once he was on his feet again, he gave his son an awkward hug.

"… I should… I should probably get myself to bed. Tomorrow I should…. They'd want me there as soon as possible."

Shikadai nodded, and Shikamaru gave him a quick kiss on his forehead, before adding.

"…I'm… I'm really proud of you, son. You're really turning into a fine young man. They've… everyone's been telling me about all the stuff you've done while I was away. I wonder… if you even need me anymore." He then curled his lips into a weak smile.

"You're outplacing your old man."

Shikadai tried his best to smile back, but the reality of the situation had finally got on his nerves. It was the state that his father was in. As he had spoke, his lips still quivered and even his smile shook with distress. As his father wrapped his arm around his shoulder, and began to lead the younger Nara inside, Shikadai finally the question slip from his lips.

"…Who _**hurt**_ you?"

Immediately, the older Nara stopped, and the grip on his boy increased to the point where Shikadai momentarily considered screaming. His one remaining eye widened, and it seemed as if his father had been taken into a trance by his words, one of hatred. He took a breath, and didn't look towards his son.

"…Your uncle. The Kazekage. _**Gaara." **_His words were laden with a special kind of disgust, although the boy knew it wasn't for him. His other arm lifted, and began to point at locations on his face.

"…Mi…missing eye. Mi-missing ear. Lacerations. Scars. Nerve damage, brain trauma, abrasions, avulsions- _**I LOOK LIKE MY FUCKING FATHER NOW! I hear ringing in my good ear, I feel tired all the time, I can't even get up, I feel dizzy when I walk! How am I supposed to move on now?! How am I supposed to raise my son!? You ruined his life! How, how could you do this to him?! I'm… I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm going to fucking KILL YOU!"**_

Shikadai moved away from his father, and Shikamaru punched once in front of him, just as fiercely if he was in battle. The sounds that represented the forest around them suddenly stopped, and Shikadai took another few steps back, making sure that he was a safe distance away. Moments passed, and he slowly confirmed his suspicions. Whatever they had done to his father… made him different.

…_What are you thinking?_

Then, suddenly, Shikamaru seemed to have been snapped out of whatever had happened to him, and he stood up tall again. He turned back towards his son, blinked twice, and then took a deep breath.

"…I'm… I'm fine. You'll be fine. Take… take… don't worry about a thing, kiddo. Heh. I'll… I'll take care of _everything._" When Shikadai made no moves towards his father, simply continuing to look up at the older man with nothing but fear in his eyes, Shikamaru took a step towards him. When Shikadai took a step back, he could see the hurt in Shikamaru's eyes. His father frowned, upset at his own being, and then turned around to move inside.

After a moment, Shikadai moved to catch up with him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto sat down in his chair in the Hokage Office, and then leaned back, kicking his legs up onto the counter in front of him.

"Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeport!" He ordered, making sure to say it as annoyingly as possible. In front of him, Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You enjoy doing that."

"Yep. Now…. Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-."

Sasuke gave him a swift hit to the face, then began to speak.

"To begin, we've rebuffed our defences-."

"Hey boss! What about some _real _news?"

The door was kicked open, and Naruto watched as Konohamaru walked up to his desk. Sasuke groaned.

"Excuse me-."

"I'll take whatever news you got over whatever he's got any day of the week. Soo… what is it?"

"Kumogakure is requesting an audience."

The lighthearted tone in the room immediately faded, but Naruto seemed to still retain some in his gut.

"…Took them long enough."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_AN: And that's it for this chapter. It's only really 3 scenes, but I feel that the 2__nd__ scene is very long to make up for it. I wasn't able to update last month, so I'll try my hardest to try to update early next month, or maybe again this month. But thank you all for reading so far. See you soon, and remember to R and R! Please!_


	54. Days

_AN: I'm just going through a lot right now. Thanks for your patience and I hope you like the chapter. The next one will involve a time skip as well, because there's this huge lul in what I need to write for this story, and what I'm writing now. You'll see._

Naruto didn't know how to feel when the screen finally turned on, and Darui's face entered his mind again. So, he began to stimulate his mind with counting the days since he had last seen him.

It had been… eleven years. Eleven years since he had last been able to speak to any of the ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village. The last time that they had a formal conversation, it was an argument, with Darui being furious that they would request their help after doing such a thing to Sunagakure. Then, he had threatened that if Konohagakure didn't leave Kumogakure alone, they would join the war on _Sunagakure's _side, just to shut them up. Needless to say, that was the last time that the Hokage's Office attempted to contact them for a long while, although that clearly hadn't stopped Karui's efforts. That was a good thing, as he could see now. And hopefully the situation that they were in now would be enough to make this conversation a fruitful one.

Naruto took a deep breath, and decided that he would feel excited for this meeting. After all, he and Darui used to be friends, and he knew for a fact that he wasn't a heartless man. But then again, he and Gaara used to be friends as well…

He shook his head, and then finally decided to address the man on the screen. Darui was seated in a chair like he was, to his right Omoi stood, and to his left C stood. On his end, only Sasuke stood with him, on his right side. He felt bare without Shikamaru's calculating gaze being directly on a formal situation like this.

"….Lord Darui… how have you been?" Naruto's voice was steady and even. On the other side of he screen, Darui sighed, and then leaned forwards.

"Lord Naruto. I've been fine. You?" He spoke slowly, and had a rather condescending tone. As he usually did.

"I've been… better."

"Ah, then let's cut the formalities so that we can _both _feel better. What do you want from us?"

_ ...Hm._

Naruto didn't know how to answer the question, or how to even properly phrase his demands, despite having had it to talk to this man for at least a decade. Sasuke, at least, had an idea of what he wanted to say, and while Naruto fell silent again, he began with his demands.

"An alliance against Sunagakure, what else? It's been the same request for years."

"And it's about to be the same response that it's been for years-." Before C's snarling voice could continue, Darui raised a hand up to silence him. The other man just simply continued to stare Sasuke down as his kage spoke again.

"You _have _been making the same request for years. But, tell me now, what exactly makes you think that this meeting is going to end positively for you? As in, what about this time is going to make it different than the others-?"

Naruto finally spoke.

_ "Because this time you let the communication get through. This time you answered."_

Darui, Omoi and C each stood silent for a moment, before Darui sunk himself further into the chair that he was sitting in.

"You're right. I did. And the circumstances _are a fair bit different now, different enough for me to care about this… _butchery…" He leaned himself up.

"Karui's been keeping contact with us. And she's explained every- well, most of the important events that have happened so far in the war…" his voice trailed off.

"…Tell Shikamaru we give our sincerest apologies. Speaking of the man, where is he? Usually he's with you during meetings like this."

"He's… been injured. And I'm sure you know why that is."

"… I do. We wish him a speedy recovery. But, back to our main topic…" Darui placed his hands on the sides of the chair that he sat in.

"What exactly are you willing to give us if we enter this alliance with you? All the times before your offers had been insultingly low."

Naruto began to speak again, and his voice was rigid and edged.

"… What exactly do you want? Is keeping the peace between our nations not enough-."

"It's never been enough," this time it was Omoi's turn to speak, and he took it with gusto.

"You're still acting like a child, Naruto-."

** "Don't talk to him like that."**

Omoi's eyes turned to Sasuke's, and he could see a hidden warning behind his harsh glare. He continued with his next words more carefully.

"…What I meant to say is that, you can't just request us into an Alliance without offering anything in return. If we supported you with this venture, our ties to the other Hidden Villages would become as weak and as flaccid as yours. Not to mention the logistics of us entering the war; it would be an expensive venture, costing us lots of money, time, and shinobi. You must offer something to make it worth our while. And Sunagakure itself isn't impressive enough on it's own."

At this, Naruto let one of his hands rest on his chin. Moments passed through his mind and in his mind before Sasuke spoke for him again.

"…We could offer you money." C was the one to answer him, scoffing as he did so.

"If money was the only issue, we would've joined the war a long time ago. No, you're going to have to offer us something that we actually care about."

"Look at it this way then. If Sunagakure is taken out, that's one less rival for you to deal with-."

"Sunagakure's so far away that they're barely an issue for us in the first place. You're losing, Sasuke. So just give it up-."

"No, don't give it up yet," Darui interrupted. He then looked at Naruto, and softened his eyes a little.

"Keep going. It's been 10 years; you should have a good reason why I would want to support you by now…"

There was a deep silence in both rooms now, and the two parties simply continued to stare each other down. All except for Naruto, who, after a period of looking at Darui's face, let his eyes focus on nothing. He thought long and hard about the next words he would speak into existence, and silently also remembered the last time that he had been seated across from another world leader, and how his disposition had scared him, and how it had made him say stupid things, made him weak. The moment that he had returned from the prisoner exchange, he had fallen into Hinata's arms, feeling a mixture of helplessness and fear now. He couldn't handle it anymore. He could no longer stand his village being weak.

It was less than 30 years since he had saved the world, after all.

He stood up slowly from his seat in front of the screen, and then lifted his gaze towards Darui, who still sat in his position lazily.

"…Fine then. Support my village, or after we're finished with Sunagakure, we're coming for _you._"

C's response was almost immediate, and Naruto barely had the time to watch the expression on Sasuke's face lighten up.

"_**Bullshit. **_You wouldn't do that. And if you don't have the power to finish off Sunagakure yourself, what makes you think you can fight us? And besides, _you _asked for this meeting, so you don't get to make demands!"

"You're not remembering the beginning of this session, are you?" Naruto's voice was surprisingly laden with utter disrespect for the other shinobi.

"_**I **_didn't call for you. _**Karui did. **_It was _**you **_who followed through with the contact after all these years. I've _**given up**_on trying to get you to care. And with the recent events that have happened, I've realized this; I can take **both **villages down if I really, really wanted to."

There was a light uneasy silence, before C continued to try and make his case.

"Why an alliance then?"

"That's for the benefit of my people. I could send them to their deaths, or I could ally with you, and send less of them to their deaths."

"You're bluffing. You're bluffing so, so hard right now."

_** "Which one of us defeated Kaguya? Just asking."**_

__C immediately shut up, and Darui slowly moved to sit up in his chair. Omoi stood at attention too. Sasuke could feel a smirk coming on as his old friend continued to speak.

"You… you… and the rest of you have been downplaying my strength for far, far too damn long now. Hell, I have been doing the same to myself. But… it's over. I'm done. I saved this world and look at the thanks I get! Years later and I'm expected to beg another village for _**help!? Fuck that!**_"

Sasuke resisted the urge to join Naruto's rant.

"Just shut up and heed my warning! The moment that Shikamaru's well enough to think again, we're marching on Sunagakure and we're ending this thing. _**And, if you haven't made up your damn minds yet, afterwards we're marching on **__**you. **_It's over and I'm done playing your fucking mind games. I don't deserve it. I'm above it. And most importantly, _**I'm the fucking Hokage. **_Make up your damn mind for helping us, or I'm going to do what I have to do to look after my people."

Suddenly, Naruto turned around and began to leave the room. Sasuke spent a few moments looking at the men on the other side of the screen, before he turned to follow his friend. Naruto's footsteps were heavy, and he could see a bit of his reddening skin from behind him. Naruto was at the exit to the room when he spoke up again.

"… Turn off the feed-.

"_**Wait.**_"

The Hokage turned his head around to look at the screen again, to see that Darui was sitting up at attention, and the previously relaxed look on his face had faded. His eyes were hard, and his voice was rough as he spoke again.

"…Heh. I was waiting for your balls to drop again-."

"If you're going to insult me I'm going-."

"No. I'm offering you the audience that you've been asking for." Naruto's eyes continued to rest on his, like daggers, before he turned around completely, and Sasuke followed his lead silently. The Raikage placed a hand to his chin to stroke his beard.

"… You mentioned that Shikamaru was sick. So, I'll give you some time to get him ready too. Meet me on the outskirts of Shimogakure in three months. You know the spot. December 24th, 9:00am. We'll talk."

Sasuke growled.

"Why not talk here-."

But before he could finish his complaint, the screen in front of them turned off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikadai woke up in the middle of the night to a series of muffled screams. Considering what had happened the last time he had heard such a thing, he immediately moved to get out of bed, and, grabbing a shuriken that he kept in his top drawer, he silently moved towards the sound of the cries.

His father's room.

It had taken him a long time the night before to get his father to bed. He had to ensure him that he was going to fine, and that he didn't necessarily need to drop him off to school in the morning. And even after he had fallen asleep, he still heard footsteps throughout his home, and a series of shuffling afterwards, which delayed his slumber for quite some time. And now, it couldn't have been longer than 3 hours since, and he could hear screaming coming from his bedroom. Quickly, Shikadai's pace increased and without asking first, he opened the door to his father's bedroom. What he saw would burn his mind for months.

His father was on the ground, dressed in nothing but his boxers, and he was on his hands and knees. Because of this lack of clothing, Shikadai could see all the scars, bruises and wounds that littered his back and chest, causing some places in his skin to be discoloured and ugly. His missing eye and the other side of his face were now uncovered too, and he looked around a small bit to see that his father had taken his bandages off, and that they were on his bed. Shikamaru hadn't noticed his son when the door opened, and so his cries and screams continued, and Shikadai continued his frozen and shocked state. The man soon fell completely to the floor, holding his head towards his chest, and he began to grip his shoulders frantically, his one good eye opening and closing rapidly. His actions and voice became random; at times, he would scream, then he would grit his teeth, then his eye would open, he would reach out a hand towards the sky, and then the other towards the glass of water that sat on his nightstand. His cries were unintelligible, and after a while Shikadai noticed blood come from his father's mouth.

That's when Shikadai's stance ended, and he moved towards immediately to be closer to his father.

He would never understand the pain that his father felt, but he had an idea where it was coming from: the multitude of scars on his body, and whatever pressure he had went through during the day. He needed to help, but he didn't know exactly how to. His father's eyes still looked everywhere but at him, and so he moved towards his father's night stand to get him the glass of water, then, after loudly placing it close to his head, the younger Nara moved to the wall to give out a phone call for help. The moment that his hands reached the receiver, however, his father's eye rested on him, and his mouth and voice joined the air.

"…Stop! Stop stop stop! Don't tell anyone! Don't…. fine! I'm fine!"

Shikadai ignored his father and quickly made the phone call. Once he was finished, he rushed back over to his father, immediately placing his hands on his shoulders and shaking him. Shikamaru's voice was shaking and when his son got closer to him, he could barely keep his attention on him, but Shikadai made sure that he was at least looking at him now, entirely. The boy shivered along with his father, deeply disturbed to see him in the way that he was, but tried his best to keep his cool, even as his father tried to push him away from him.

"Fine…. I'm fi-fine!"

"No, no you're not. But I've called for help, ok? They'll be here-."

"No! I'm… I'm _**fine! **_Shikadai just go back to b-b-bed!"

Shikamaru gave his son a particularly strong push, and Shikadai fell back onto the floor away from him. Once he was away, Shikamaru placed his hands into his head, and tucked his head against his chest, curling himself up into a ball, and continuing his pained screams. Shikadai stood on his back for a few moments, trying to get over the force that his own father had used against him, before he rose to cover his father with the sheet that was on his bed. Shikamaru's cries didn't subside, and Shikadai placed his hands to his ears to cover them. He was rapidly running out of options to help his father, and it was clear that the man was too embarrassed to accept his help anyway. But he had to try. In his mind, he was harshly reminded of another time when one of his parents had been in duress at night, and he hadn't been able to help.

So instead of leaving like he knew his father wanted him to, he sat himself down beside him, and gave him a hug. His father cried out at his touch, and Shikadai began to fight back tears. He held his head next to his father's back, and then tried to sprawl him out onto his back, hoping that he would be a bit more comfortable that way, and then moved to use one of his father's pillows as a cushion for his heavily scarred back. Shikamaru continued to moan for a few moments longer, before his pain became intelligent.

"…Don't tell anyone… nobody… nobody…"

"I already told them. They're going to be here very soon." There was a pause.

"…You're going to get better. They're going to help you. Um… look at the bright side, you wont have to walk me to school tomorrow…. Don't you find that troublesome-."

"Can't know they can't know they can't know-."

"Dad it's ok, they can help you-."

"No they- GOD JUST... JUST _**STOP!**_"

Shikadai jumped back at his father's sudden outburst, but kept his hands on his shoulders. He slowly noticed that hsi father's eyes were no longer on him, and instead were looking at a portion of the wall behind him.

"...Just leave me alone PLEASE No more! No more of this! I'm sorry I've said sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I-I-I-I-I!"

Shikadai's eyes slowly widened, and his mind worked quickly to find out _who his father _was speaking to. Slowly, he began to move closer to his father again, watching out for his arms and legs, and he latched himself to his father's side. He wasn't well, he wasn't well at all. And that made Shikadai scared, deathly so.

Had his father ever really come back from the war?

"...He's not here Dad..."

He didn't' know what else to say as his father rambled into eternity, and soon tears came to his eyes as well. Eventually, he too broke down crying, still not even noticing that his son was in the room with him, and in a final act of desperation, Shikadai raised one of his hands to cover his father's eye. Only then did his stuttering and struggling stop, and soon Shikamaru's tears stopped, as did his movements, and he fell silent. Shikadai's cries continued, even as his father's breaths stopped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru awoke some time later, with a huge headache and an immediate feeling of dread. He tried to raise his body to complete his survey of his surroundings, and once he felt resistance on his arms and legs, his eyes opened, and he found himself in the same hospital where his wife had died.

Immediately he tried to sit up again, only for his binds to keep him back. Panic began to travel throughout his body as he was given unwelcome memories of the last time that he had been there, and immediately he thought of the worst case scenario. The pains in his mind were contrasted by the numbness of his body, whatever pains that he had felt before were gone, replaced by him not really being able to feel anything on the surface. He tried to move his hands and legs again, but this time found that he couldn't even begin to raise them. He opened his mouth to let out a groan, and soon he found that he wasn't alone in the hospital room.

"Shikamaru. Calm down, you're alright now."

Shikamaru's eyes shifted to the right of him, and he saw Naruto Uzumaki sitting on a stool next to him, wearing his Hokage Robes, and looking rather tired.

_...No._

_ "Where's Shikadai?!" Shikamaru said abruptly. On a monitor beside him, he began to hear a beeping sound, and he turned his head to see that his blood pressure was rising. He stared at the machine in awe for a few moments, before watching it lower again, and he turned his head back towards Naruto, who had placed his head into his hand._

"What... what is this?!"

"...Gosh. You're worse off than we thought-."

"Naruto-."

"He's fine. Shikadai's completely fine. After he called emergency, he stayed with you until we came to pick you up. He's waiting outside now, even though we told him to go to school, and he's been waiting for you to regain consciousness. And you're going to lose it again if you keep your blood pressure up, so please, _calm down. Everything's fine. You're fine, and you're being monitored now. You're __**safe.**_"

Shikamaru blinked twice, and took a small while to process his words, before he laid himself back into the hospital bed again, and began to breathe normally and slowly. Memories of the night before returned to humiliate him, and everything that had happened to him recently slowly returned to his mind to confront him. He spent the next few minutes silent, before he closed his eyes for a while, and opened them.

"... Are you sure that he's _okay?_"

Naruto sat himself up again, and let out a heavy breath.

"The last time his parents were sent to the hospital in the middle of the night, he lost one. And... he told us that he saw your breakdown, heard your screams and your cries. Eventually he'll be better again, but he'll definitely need time to heal. And you... you're going to need much, much more than he will. When we brought you in, Sakura investigated you immediately, and..." His voice trailed off before it found itself again.

"This isn't just a physical thing. Of course, we sort of knew that you were a bit... off-."

"I'm not. I just... I just need some rest. I'll be fine-."

"If you weren't that 'bad' then you wouldn't have been crying from your wounds in the middle of the night, you wouldn't be talking to thin air, and you-."

"How did you know about that?" Naruto mentally slapped himself, but then continued.

"Choji." Shikamaru tried to sit up again, before he strained one of his old wounds, and let out a yelp as he fell back onto the bed behind him.

"He's just trying to help you, Shikamaru. Whether you like to admit it or not, whatever Gaara did-." Naruto noticed the way that Shikamaru's arm twitched when he mentioned his name, and then he sighed.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, Shikamaru. You're not well, we should've never let you go free yesterday. You're here now to get the treatment that we should've given you in the first place. It's going to take time, but if we don't give it, you might die. Or worse..."

Shikamaru stared at Naruto for a few moments to catch up to what he was saying, and once he did, he gave out a harsh laugh. The chuckle sounded like hell.

"...How long are you going to keep me here-?"

"For as long as it takes. You need to get better, that's all that matters."

"Really. You're prioritizing my health over the rest of the village?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. I'm the best strategist that this village has, and now that you've given Kankuro back to the Sand, do you really think that they're just going to sit there and wait for me to get better too? They'll be angry, _**GAARA, **_will be _**angry. **_The war isn't over, and you just gave them back our trump piece. You _need _me up and working to deal with them."

"So you can kill yourself by wracking your brain too heavily? No. Just no."

"Then who'll protect the village from them? With our supplies dwindling."

"I will-."

Shikamaru coughed.

"Fuck off. Just Fuck off. Even if it was you _and _Sasuke, you two don't have the flexibility to protect an entire village by yourselves-."

"And that's why I've enlisted some help from the Hidden Cloud Village."

Upon the mention of the name of that village, Shikamaru laughed even harsher.

"Really? And they're going to help? After all these years-."

"_I made sure of that. _But we'll be having a meeting in three months to confirm. When that day comes, I might need you to be there. Now stop being so damn difficult and _rest. Rest. _You don't have to worry about a thing but getting _better _now."

Shikamaru finally let the issue rest, and he laid his head more heavily on the pillow that was behind him. Quietly he then turned his head to the side that didn't have Naruto staring at him, and after a long while of reflection, continued to speak.

"...Just don't have the village burn down while I'm stuck here-."

"Of course it wont."

"And... if G- _**He attacks... **_save him for _**me**_." There was a long pause, where Naruto looked disgusted.

"I'll be the judge of that." Naruto then rubbed his head before he stood up. "I should probably go let Shikadai know that you're fine."

"Of course-."

"Thank God this isn't going to be a _repeat incident._"

Shikamaru paused, his mouth hung open in a bit of shock, before Naruto left him alone, and slammed the door behind him. He spent a few moments looking at the door after it had been closed, before he himself turned away, and he looked up at the ceiling above him. Taking a deep breath, he admitted it. He did need help. But he didn't think that he had time for it, not anymore. The only thing that was on his mind was killing the man who gave him all of this pain, the man who had given him all of those disabilities that he now had. He had to. He had grown tired of the war, and he had lost too much.

And the top thing on his mind was what his new disabilities would do to his ability to raise his child. He knew that Shikadai needed guidance, he always would, but he missed a year with him, and now he was about to miss more. Even if his "treatment" was "successful", what would it do to their relationship? If his son kept seeing him weak and ineffective?

He felt his mind spasm, and then decided to stop his thought process for the moment. Then, one of the machines which he was hooked up to began to beep again, and he felt oddly at peace. He let himself slip into the sleep that it offered him. Hooked up the way he was, this was no longer his choice to make.

Naruto's coldness was quite new.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Thank you for reading, and please read and review when you get the chance to. Your reviews really do help me finish this story._


	55. A Meeting

_NOTE: I made an error during the last part. 4 months after November would be March, not December. I apologize for how long this chapter took to get out, but I'm just facing a lot of problems in my personal life right now, and it's affecting my mind and health. So it's hard to write, and when I do write it's not as good as it used to be. I'm going to release this chapter now, but I might go back and edit it in the new year if it's really that bad. Anyways, on to the show._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_ "Before we start, let's get a few things straight. The posturing that Sasuke and I did earlier... most of it is bullshit. We'd be willing to fight them, but it's not an option that would be a good idea, especially with Gaara breathing down our backs. Our priority should be to pacify them, not to the point where we appear weaker, but to the point where they'll listen. Besides... if our spies and intelligence is right, then pissing Kumogakure off further would probably result in even more trouble on our side. Alright. Keep yourselves calm, and follow me. All precautions aside, it shouldn't be too hard to get them to come over to our side. We have too many ties between us."_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Four Months later...

If Shikamaru's shaking didn't alert the other party to his presence, then the occasional cough that he gave surely would.

He really began to regret his previous enthusiasm for the assignment that he was now on, but all the while, he couldn't bring himself to admit defeat now, not when he and his comrades were so close. His group was small but powerful, at the front was Naruto, wearing his now decrepit looking Hokage outfit. He walked behind him, trying his best to keep up, and behind him he was flanked by Sasuke, with Sakura walking beside him. In the very back was Karui, and her presence here on this diplomatic trip would likely be key. By now, they were seven days away from Konohagakure via running, and they were deep within the Land of Frost. It was cold, so the entire party was quiet instead of jovial, and the air was focused and tense instead of light and joyful. Still, despite this they walked on.

It was about mid-day, and they were almost there. The snow crunched beneath their feet, and they each tried to make their minds and hearts mend together. Whatever happened today would surely impact the rest of the war, and indeed, the fate of their village.

Suddenly, Shikamaru felt something clench his chest, and he paused his movement. Naruto sensed his pause without having to turn around, and behind him the rest of the troupe waited for him to recover. The man began to shake, the cold winter's air finally reaching his bones, but instead of becoming unresponsive, he quickly reached into one of the pockets on him to swallow some of his pills, dry, with no water. He waited a few moments, and then steadied his good eye on the pill bottle as he slowly watched the rest of his body calm itself down. He took a few deep breathes to accompany this, and then placed the pills back into his interior jacket pocket, and looked up to watch the rest of the group lay their eyes on him uneasily. Shikamaru began to feel inadequate, and frowned.

"... Let's keep moving-."

"Are you sure that you have enough?" Sakura interrupted. On her body, Shikamaru remembered that she was carrying extra medical supplies, just in case he had to be looked after a bit more carefully. He had only recently been 'released' from the hospital, and his progress still-.

"I'm sure. Let's... just get this over with-."

"Don't over-exert yourself," Naruto added, but he didn't say anything more, as he could tell when the Stag was getting tired of coddling. Instead, he continued to walk forwards. They were almost at their destination, and they couldn't afford to look weak. Not after the bluff that Naruto and Sasuke had pulled.

The group rounded another few trees, and came across a deeper forest. They weren't following a path at all, instead simply Naruto's instinctual knowledge of the land around them.

And then, when they had entered a dark piece of the frozen forest, Naruto quickly lifted a hand up to his right, and blocked the swung of a long sword.

Everyone else in the group heard the sound, saw the sight and moved back immediately. As skilled ninja, they should have been able to sense something like this was about to happen, and they each spent a few moments in shock before reaching for their weapons and preparing their Jutsu. Meanwhile, another sword came towards Naruto, this time aimed at his head, and he placed his other arm in front of him from the same direction. Before his unseen assailant could move another muscle, he moved towards him, and placed his hands together to quietly summon a blast of pure electrical energy. He laced the energy into his hand and rushed forwards to place his hands onto the sword that came at him the next time. Little did he know, the sword itself was laced with something else.

There was a long and loud explosion that came from it. A white blast enveloped a small area, but none of the shinobi present moved a muscle. When the smoke and light cleared, all the frost had been cleared from the trees, and each tree in a large area had been reduced to a stump. Shikamaru removed the hands from in front of his eyes, and everyone in his trope were then able to see everyone who was present in the area. There was a large, dark skinned man who was standing to the side of their Hokage, with two of his swords out in front of him being blocked by one of Naruto's arm, and the other... five, on various positions on his back. He was a familiar sight to all of them, especially Karui, and once the man could see the sunshine above fall onto his face, his previously strained face curled up into a smile directed at his old brother in arms.

"...Good to know your skills didn't go away. That would've been quite the pain, yeah?"

Naruto smiled back.

"Being at war for eleven years can do that to a person. Now, what's your excuse, old man?"

Killer Bee retracted both of his swords, and leaned himself back.

"Just because we weren't fighting doesn't mean we weren't in the war, you know." He then let his eyes search through Naruto's posse, and he waved at his old student Karui.

"Hey, Karui! How are things?"

The woman blinked. It had been quite the while since she had seen her old master, and she didn't know where to start.

"... Well I'm alive."

"That's good. How's Choji treating you?"

"Well, really well sir. How's the village been treating you?"

"...Well I'm alive."

The two laughed for a while, and then engaged in some idle banter. The rest of the group found themselves confused. They had threatened Kumogakure, and then had been attacked. Yet the way that Killer Bee was receiving them implied that the previous acts almost hadn't happened at all. He even walked towards his old student to hear her a bit better.

After a few minutes, the banter ended, and his eyes immediantely met Shikamaru's lone pupil. Then, his jovial tone subsided, and his face became more stern.

"...Heard you were being a naughty boy lately, breaking a lot of rules lately,"

Shikamaru blinked, and then shrugged emotionlessly.

"Haven't we all?"

Killer bee placed a hand to his chin, and then nodded.

"'Suppose you're right. And from me to you, I'm sorry about what happened to your wife. I heard she was a brave woman."

For the first time in a long while, Shikamaru took the mention of his dead lover in stride, and simply nodded, not adding any words of acknowledgment to seal the deal. Killer Bee bowed in respect, and then moved himself back to the front of the trope to talk to his fellow Jinchuriki again.

"Come along, the Raikage and everyone else is this way."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Killer Bee took the group to a less ruined patch of forest, and this time there weren't any more surprises. Darui, the Raikage, was standing in the middle of the clearing, and he was flanked by both C and Omoi. Bee crossed the clearing to be with his fellow Cloud Shinobi, and Naruto and his group moved to set themselves up as well, with Naruto standing across from his counterpart. Upon seeing Karui and Shikamaru, the negotiations began.

The old teammates caught up with one another quite quickly, but eventually their word faded away as the true purpose to their meeting returned. And once things toned down, the Raikage took a deep breath, and then placed both hands out in front of him.

"Now... enlighten us. Exactly why do you need our help, and what will we get in return?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"We've been over this. You provide support for _one _mission for _one _attack, or we'll turn our ire on you once we're finished with Sunagakure-."

"I wasn't asking you." Once again, each cloud shinobi turned to look at Shikamaru. The man had begun to shake again, but with all this heat he couldn't allow himself to take another dose and to look weak. He tried his best to keep himself straight as he relayed the plan that he had thought through for the past few months.

"... When she was still with us, my late wife used to be integral in editing and approving of my battle plans and maneuvers. These tips, pieces of advice and... well... signs of _care_, are a large part of why our village still stands this day. She might be gone now, but there are a lot of signs and techniques that I've picked up from her, as well as a lot of village secrets that she told me." Shikamaru paused, and then began to pace back and forth. The movements he made helped to mask the shaking that was beginning to take over his body.

"... _'Sunagakure never did have a lot of good close range fighters. There are a series of tunnels that lead directly to the Kazekage's office... defences are down during rain, and when there's a sandstorm.'" _His voice quickly moved onto the following topic before remembering the specific warning that she had given him about attacking during sandstorms.

"The sandstorm season for Sunagakure is already here, and it should be reaching it's crest within the next month or so. If we attack then, with our combined resources and with our villages together, we should be able to land a stunning blow, confront Gaara, and end the war. Of course, the plan is much more complicated than the way I'm making it seem-."

The Raikage took a deep breath, and leaned himself back up against a tree. The movements startled Shikamaru, and he stopped moving back and forth, returning to his previous position and looking ahead of him. Darui spoke up soon enough.

"... How long have you known about this?"

"It's a bit hard to remember when she first brought it up, but it's been years."

"Hm. And you've never used it before?"

"The situation was different back then. We've done smaller missions, but never a full-scale attack with this knowledge. Aside from... my own experiences while a captive... our head of intelligence, Ino Yamanaka, had the privledge of interrogating Kankuro of the Black Sands for as long as I was away. She found more weaknesses from a combination of his memories and his admissions."

"And I trust that you would be willing to share that information with us if we sign on?"

"Yes."

"And more details of the attack?"

"Yes." Darui paused after this.

"... How many shinobi would you require from us?"

"At least half your forces. A-."

"Bullshit," C interrupted harshly. Shikamaru turned his eye to him, and the man continued.

"You don't need that many. Your supply of shinobi already slightly outnumbers theirs. You just want us to leave ourselves undefended for a counter attack-."

"With the shinobi that we have on our side, we wouldn't need that." The leader of the Nara clan then gestured to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura.

"Furthermore, what the sand village lacks in numbers they have in _skill. _We may have more shinobi, and _powerful _shinobi, but the few shinobi that they do have are _much stronger than ours. _And their leaders... are no slouches either. Finally, as with all battles, if we have them on the defensive, then they'll have the home-town advantage. A good way to lessen this would be to make sure that we outnumber them."

C's eyes met Shikamaru's, and eventually he closed them, and nodded.

"That's a fair explanation. Very well." When C backed off, Omoi's questions came through.

"When were you planning for this attack to happen, anyway? And... you're expecting over a hundred thousand shinobi to attack and navigate their way through a sandstorm?"

"Probably either later this month, or by the middle of next month."

"That's not nearly enough time to revitalize our forces-."

"And we have the technology to make this easier. All that's needed is for it to go into mass production."

"You aren't listening to us. That's not enough time-."

"**Or rather**, **that's what you'd want us to think**. We're not stupid, Omoi. Your shinobi haven't just been sitting on their asses for the past 10 years, uninformed that a war had been going on. If you've been keeping in contact with Karui all this time, then it's most likely that you've also been keeping tabs on _us _this entire time. It wouldn't take long for you to turn those espionage skills into real combat skills, especially if you just needed it for one night."

Shikamaru let a pause persist for a moment, before he made eye contact with Darui again.

"... And besides, your village doesn't _need _raw jutsu to take down it's enemies anymore, does it...?"

Darui's eyes widened, before his lips slowly curved into a smile. He looked across his audience carefully, before he reached behind his back. Naruto immediately realised that he hadn't shown any of them his back, and when Darui produced a long, weird contraption, he finally had visual confirmation of the item that some of his shinobi had spoken about. Darui spent a few moments fiddling with it, before holding it up so the leaf shinobi could see it properly. It was a weird thing, shaped like a cane, but where someone would likely hold the cane was a trigger. The other end had an opening, and there was a scope at it's top. Before any of them could speculate to what exactly it was, the Raikage explained.

"Good to know that your spies aren't out of practice either. This right here... well some of them have helped us with a few disputes with the Hidden Stone Village. Hard to operate, but deadly and devastating when used correctly." He then swung it around in his hands, getting a feel for it's texture, before lifting it up, aiming the open end at a tree to the extreme left of Shikmaru's side of the clearing, and pulling back the trigger.

There was a loud sound, and a gust of smoke came from the contraption's end, as well as a projectile. The projectile itself went rushing towards the tree, and lodged itself perfectly in the middle. The area around the tree cracked, but the bark still stood on, and the tree still was standing up. Darui blew the smoke out of his hands, and then looked towards Naruto, who's eyes were wide in shock.

"We call it a 'gun', and we're the sole manufacturers of it... so far. What I did over there was what we call 'taking a shot'. The projectile was a 'bullet', this one made out of pure iron. That shot though... let's be honest. Any good shinobi would be able to just walk that off, it wouldn't really make much of a difference in battle over an arrow, a kunai or a shuriken. But..."

Darui lifted the gun again, and this time aimed it at a different tree. He fired it again, but before he did all who were around to witness it saw the blue of his chakra surround the weapon, and when it fired the blast was louder, and the smoke that eroded from it was thicker, blacker. The tree that was it by this projectile went flying into the tree behind it, and that tree fell, and the other, and the other. Eventually, there was a great deal of damage done, not only to the initial tree, but to a portion of the forest around it. Darui once again blew the smoke off of his gun, and then looked up at his audience again.

"That'll be 10 dollars for the demonstration. No... I'm joking. But as you can see, with a little more _push _and _power... _it can be devastating. It could help you win your struggle against Sunagakure, indeed. But like with your gear, it needs to go into mass production..."

He made eye contact with Karui, and then smiled. He tossed her the weapon, and he caught it on her first try.

"There you go. I'm always looking after my shinobi."

Karui chuckled, and then the attention, by default, turned back to Naruto.

"... Do any of you have any other questions for our proposal?"

This time it was Killer Bee's turn to speak, but unlike his companions, his voice didn't lose it's old feeling.

"...Other than taking down the Sand Village, what exactly are you offering us? And it can't be anything small, either. Make it worth our while. Joining your side in this war would fuck up our reputation worldwide."

Naruto nodded.

"Threatening you... we've done that. Instead, we'll go onto the real gains you could make. Money; after the war it would be easy to charge Sunagakure for damages done to your shinobi. Once this war is over, the trade routes in that area should be more open, meaning that we would _all _profit greatly from an end to this war. And-."

"That isn't what we're looking for. Not at all." Naruto's eyes turned to the Raikage, who had interrupted him. The other man's eyes narrowed.

"... The Land of Wind becomes one of our tributaries, at the very least."

" _No. _" This time, Shikamaru had been the one to speak out. All eyes went to him, and the previously calm man was now visibly upset.

"That isn't an option. Ask for something else." His tone had become dismissive, and Darui wasn't amused by this at all.

"Those are our demands, well thought out from long before we were agreed to come here. They don't even affect your village directly, and only would serve to reimburse us for our _guaranteed _losses when we follow you through this, as well as deter them from ever waging war like this again."

"Making them a tributary wont dissuade them from attacking us again. And once we occupy them, we should be able to physically dissuade any major uprisings. If you want money... I'm sure there'll be enough of the treasury to suit your needs once we get to it."

Darui shook his head.

"Not enough."

"Why?" Shikamaru's voice began to take a stance. "Why is it not enough?"

"We told you before," this time, the voice was Omoi's. "Entering this war is going to fuck up our reputation worldwide, _especially _if we enter it on your side. _Your _village is the one that started the war, after all-."

"You really believe that-."

"_**Enough." **_Sasuke's voice caused the argument to be paused, and he cleared his throat afterwards. "Shikamaru, let's hear more of this. Raikage, exactly how much percentage did you want on their economy?"

"At least forty percent for the next ten years-."

"That's far too high," Shikamaru spat, ignoring Sasuke and interrupting him again. By now, his left hand was shaking. "Make it lower."

"Keep our reputation high then. We're not entering this war if we're not getting enough in returned for dead men and a ruined view on the world stage."

"We'll fix the ruined image once we find enough proof of our innocence. Then, think about how it'll look. Your village will be remembered as the ones who stood by Konohagakure in it's finest hours, who knew the truth when everyone else denied it."

"That relies too much on your village _actually being innocent. _Not to mention, _you _Shikamaru, have _far too many conflicts of interest to be speaking to us about 'sparing' Sunagakure any pain-."_

"Excuse me?" Shikamaru instinctively took a step forwards, and gripped his fist. Sasuke moved forwards as well in respnonse.

"Stand down Shikamaru-."

"No... you shut up. You all just _**LISTEN. **_Or rather _**look, look at my face. Look at my body. **_After all of this, and after all the shit I've been through, and all the people that I've _**LOST**_, do you _**really**_ think that I have any"conflicts of interests" left with Sunagakure? Do you _**really **_think that I'm going to let them get off the hook for this!? No, I'm not. Not Gaara, not Kankuro. Not anymore, not with their _**lives**_. But by taking money from their _**people**_ after a war, especially one as long as the one we've fought, you're just going to cause more of a mess, and make reconciliation with the village harder, or impossible. So either lower the amount, or walk away from the deal."

The scene was silent for a good long while, before Darui placed his head into his hand, and took a deep breath. He turned to his right and left hand men, giving them each looks of disbelief, seeing the contradiction clear in Shikamaru's words. Shikamaru on the other hand finally stood down, taking a step back and learning himself against the tree behind him. He should have topped up on his supply of painkillers, and now he was going to affect how he would be seen in front of the leaders of another ninja village. His shaking increased in his arms, but he kept the rest of his body steady as possible.

The group all stared at each other for a while, and Darui in particular gave Shikamaru a grave and serious look. He tried to read the one eyed man, to maybe see his true intentions, but to no avail. From his lips, another demand slipped, dripping like honey.

"...15 percent, for ten years."

Shikamaru's lips moved slowly, causing Sakura to be able to speak out in front of him.

"That sounds more reasonable. And I suppose that you agree to our deal then? It should just be one attack."

Darui's eyes didn't stop surveying Shikamaru, but he nodded to show that he had heard Sakura's confirmation. As the two men found themselves in a stare down, Omoi filled in the gaps.

"Our forces will arrive at your village by the end of next week, and we'll be bringing our technology. We expect proper briefing on the war, proper training and for you to share your technology with us as we will do with you. As allies in his war, we also except full transparency and co-operation. If this operation ends up going past one attack... well, let's just all hope that it doesn't."

Naruto Uzumaki nodded in agreement. "Sounds fair. Is there anything else you want to say?"

Darui's eyes finally stopped surveying Shikamaru, and the latter man felt a great weight being taken off of him. He coughed, and Darui looked at Naruto, his eyes softening and his formality slowly slipping away.

"...Naruto."

Naruto lifted his head towards him. "... Darui." If they were on a first name basis... The darker skinned man sighed, and then shook his head.

"... Don't make me find out that you've been lying all this time. About you and your lot being innocent. Or else-."

"Once we getting into their archives, records and accounts, we'll have all the proof that we'll need."

For a moment, Darui's eyes widened, before they frowned again, and he nodded.

"...Within the next week."

He snapped his fingers, and in the next instant Darui, Omoi, and C were all gone. Killer Bee, however, stayed for a moment longer. He made eye contact with Naruto, and then threw a peace sign into the air with his right hand, grinning childishly, despite his advanced age.

"...Glad to see you again, man. When I see you in Konohagakure again, let's tear some clubs up. It's a plan."

Naruto chuckled warmly in return, and within the next instant his fellow jinchuricki was gone as well.

And once he was sure that they were all alone again, Shikamaru began to shove his face full of his pills, trying to make his mind straight, and his shaking stop.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_It's a shorter chapter than the ones that I usually write, but I'm just facing a lot of trouble in my personal life right now, and it's causing a pretty huge writing block on my side. I'll try to update again sometime in January, but please allow me to get my life sorted out first. However long that will take. I just hope that I can finish this within year 2017. Once again, please R and R if you have the time, and thank you so much for reading my story so far. I promise to stick with it until completion , and I really appreciate your readership._

P.S: Let me know how you like my newer writing style. I'm trying to cut back on useless phrases and information, and go closer to the point. If that's even working. Anyways, Happy New Year! I hope my story's still acceptable. Next chapter will definitely return to Kankuro, Gaara and Shikadai.


	56. Family

**Part 56: Family**

_AN: Things were busy with mid-terms and other stuff, so sorry for the delay. Anyways, I think I'm going to have to eventually go back over this fanfiction and edit things once I'm done. I'm noticing that I'm making a lot of little mistakes with the ages, the timeline and the sequences of events. So to help the readers and to correct myself, I'm going to post some things here:_

_This fanfiction takes place 20 years after Chapter 699 in the Naruto manga, after which the timeline diverges. Let's call the year of chapter 699 "x10"._

_X10 = Chapter 699_

_X10-18 = I also count the Hidens as canon too, and then a bunch of other rebuilding the world things occurred. Kakashi becomes Hokage in x10._

_X16 = Kankuro meets Shiori and she becomes his second in command quickly._

_X18-19 = Years where the majority of the cast gets married (I know I slowed things down a LOT compared to canon), save for Shikamaru and Temari_

_x19 = Year where the attacks on Sunagakure happen and Shikamaru's tension from chapter 53 occurred_

_x20 = Start of the war and Shikamaru and Temari finally get married. Ages of the major characters are at this point are in their late 20s, with Shikamaru and his age group being/turning 27, Temari being 30 and Kankuro being 29 for reference._

_X23 = Shikadai is conceived and born, and so are the majority of the other children (Boruto, Inojin, Chocho, etc.). Events of Part 4 occur near Shikadai's birth._

_X24 = The year where "Weeping Sands" occurs, and later on in the same year Kakashi steps down as Hokage, being replaced by Naruto Uzumaki._

_X25 = Kankuro and Shiori both get married, and Okuni is born in this year._

_X26-30 = Just war._

_X30 = Near the end of this year start the events of Part 7 onward. The ages for the Konoha 11/12 here are 36-37, with Temari being 40 and Kankuro being 39. Shikadai is turning 7, and Okuni is turning 5. Kakashi is 51, Kurenai is 52. Mirai is 20. This is where things need to be broken down into months:_

_Late October = Temari dies and chapters happen._

_November = Shikadai's birthday is on the 11th, and Shikamaru isn't captured until the 30th_

_December = Shikamaru tries to escape near the end of this month, and fails. _

_March = The events of "Gaara" occur._

_April = Shikadai has his lapse of faith, and Shikamaru's still tortured._

_Late October = The events of "To Be King of the Hill" occur around this time. _

_November = This is where I messed up the timeline again; Shikamaru should get back to the village in time for Shikadai's birthday on the **11****th****, not the 1****st****. **He lasts about a day at home before having to be hospitalized about three days later on the **14****th****. **_

_November – March = Shikamaru is in a hospital, but Shikadai visits him (I need to write this into the story proper) and the war effort continues to hold off Sunagakure. Kankuro is similarly recovering, but spending time with friends._

_March = Events of part 55 occur, and this chapter takes place near the **end **of March. It took the posse a week to leave Konoha, meet with Kumo, and then return home._

_Sorry for that but I had to correct my own timeline. I admittedly forgot to keep tabs on my story's timeline with how things are going now. Anyways, here's the information on everyone's current age:_

_Shikamaru, Gaara and the Konoha 11/12 = 38-39_

_Kankuro = 40-41_

_Shikadai = 8-9_

_Okuni = 6-7_

_Kakashi = 52-53_

_Kurenai 53-54_

_Mirai = 21-22_

_I think that's everything important that needed to be said. Let me know in the comments/reviews if anyone needs any further clarification. Onward with the flick!_

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"... This is nowhere near a 'heavy load', Shikadai."_

_ Shikadai grit his teeth, and then clenched his body tighter. He was face down in a planking position, on his knees and elbows, and his eyes were stuck looking straight ahead. He was wearing nothing but a pair of Genin pants, the very same pair that his father used to wear, and on his back his father had stacked multiple weights on his back, totalling about 20kg. Shikamaru was still close by, but now he was walking around his son, teasing with the idea of lessening the weight, but knowing all too well what he needed to go through._

_ "... By the time you're a Chuunin, you're going to be required to carry double that amount. **Flawlessly. **Without you showing a single show of weakness..."_

_ Shikadai took in a deep breath, and nodded. Sweat was beginning to break out on his forehead._

_ "Can't... Can't I take a break?"_

_ "Sorry. No."_

_ Shikadai felt another weight being placed on his back, and he cringed. Shikamaru took a deep breath._

_ "... You can do this. You **need **to be able to do this. Focus on your breathing. The fact that you're not ready to do it right now... it's my fault. You're almost nine now and you don't even know the basics..."_

_ Shikadai began to breathe in and out loudly, and Shikamaru continued his pacing. After about a minute, he heard Shikadai finally fall to the ground, and began to pant loudly. Shikamaru reached into his jacket pocket to give himself another pill, and then knelt to his son's side, removing the weights and placing a hand on his back, beginning to rub the places on his son's back that he knew were hurting. The boy relaxed, and Shikamaru sighed, then shook his head._

_ "...They're going to go after you, kid. They're going to be relentless-."_

_ "I know-."_

_ "No. You **don't. **You **don't know how bad it's going to be."**_

_ Shikamaru felt pain in his mind as he spoke._

_ "Gaara and Kankuro already know that you're alive. They're going to want to get you back. They're going to send ninja to ensure that that happens… or they'll come themselves. If it's just your uncles, you might have nothing to fear but being abducted. But with other Ninja…? … They know what I've done. And they might end up harming, or even **killing **you to spite me."_

_ Shikadai gulped, and Shikamaru shook his head._

_ "...This is the world me and your mother have fought to keep you out of. But… it looks like we can't get everything we'd like..."_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

As he watched his son perform a perfect back flip, throw off a torrent of wind, throw a kunai, and then catch it in his newly learned Shadow Possession Jutsu, Shikamaru couldn't help but marvel at how quickly his son was progressing.

He had first started to personally tutor his son before he had left for the conference with the Raikage. He had been given a week between being discharged from the hospital to having to leave, and he made sure that he made use of every waking moment to finally begin the training that he had been neglecting from his son for the boy's entire life. Even before he had started, he found himself impressed with what the child already knew; the basics, and quite a lot of wind techniques, courtesy of his late wife's final student. What he was missing, then, were all the techniques that would keep him, as a child of the Nara clan, alive on the battlefield. He was missing his Shadow Possession Jutsu, his nimble mobility, and his quick-thinking on the run.

The last two were things that his mother would've been much better at training him in, but Shikamaru would have to make due. At the time, he had 7 days to get his son into a position where, if anything happened while Shikamaru was gone, he would be at least able to protect himself a little better.

Day one was spent reading.

Shikadai complained at first, but Shikamaru simply shrugged, and directed him to the relevant chapters and diagrams. The book they had to study from was old, much older than even Shikamaru's father, and had been written by one of the founders of the Nara clan. It was also nine thousand _troublesome _pages, half of which were filibuster, and most of the other half being fluff and extended prose. The information that _was both present and relevant _was invaluable however, and gave Shikadai a greater foundation to start his shadow training on.

Day two, however, was spent avoiding.

Shikadai was tasked with dodging each and everything that Shikamaru threw at him, for three hours straight consecutively. It took him three tries to be able to avoid his father for that long, and then when he finally succeeded, Shikamaru simply tasked him to do it _while blindfolded. _That time, it took him _seventeen _times to be able to even get out of Shikamaru's general vicinity, and it took until the morning of the following day for Shikadai to stay out of his reach for an _hour. _Feeling as if the task he had given his son was too great, Shikamaru called for a break.

As they sat together eating breakfast, Shikadai poured out his frustrations with the lesson, and Shikamaru immediately sympathized. Then, he offered to show the boy an example of effective evading, to which his son scoffed and accepted. Shikamaru then blindfolded his one good eye, and evaded Shikadai for the rest of that day. In the evening, he gave an important lesson about suppressing chakra and learning to see the world without looking at it, which stuck with Shikadai.

Day four came, and in the morning Shikadai evaded his father for the entire duration, to the point where the man had become convinced that his son had run away at some point. When Shikadai finally revealed himself, sitting on his back porch and setting up a game of shogi for the two to play, Shikamaru couldn't help himself but to laugh at how quickly the boy had picked up the technique after being introduced to it properly, and the two spent the rest of the day playing and, in the evening, Shikadai finally introduced his father to some of the video games that he so dearly loved. This small break in training and this time spent together was more than they had done in a year_._

Day five was when the two finally began to train in the Shadow Jutsu.

Considering that the child already had a decent hold of his chakra now, the initial lessons were quite easy. What Shikamaru found, however, was that his son didn't take a liking to having to control other people or things, not in the slightest. He could catch flying projectiles well enough, and even the advanced technique of fading in and out of nearby shadows proved to be easy. But every time Shikadai took a hold of someone or something, even if that someone was willing and ready like his father was, he always froze up on contact, and quickly relinquished his grip afterwards. Shikamaru always cringed when looking at the expression on his son's face when it happened; it was almost as if he had been shocked by something, or if he was beginning to have a seizure. When asked about it, Shikadai would insist that he would be fine, try again, and then the same thing would happen again.

After a few hours of this happening on the first day, Shikamaru moved along in their lesson. There were other things that the boy needed to at least have a grasp of before his father would feel comfortable leaving him alone again, and he had hoped that he would get used to

Day six is when Shikamaru started conditioning with his son, and there was nothing much of note. There wasn't much to lifting up boxes Day seven was when he tried to re-introduce _shadow possession _again, and once again, Shikadai failed throughout the entire day, causing Shikamaru to finally investigate.

"…What's wrong with you?" He spat, finally becoming frustrated with his son's strange inability. Even he had been able to grin and bear the strange sensation as a boy, and he had no problems with learning the rest of the techniques required. He downed a few pills, and shook his head. The two were seated at their table eating dinner, and all that was left to do was to reflect on the day that had passed them by.

Shikadai idly twirled his spaghetti at the other end of the rather small table, and bit his lip.

"I just can't do it. It's… _wrong-."_

"You're going to _**have**_ to get used to it. It's one of your clan's most cherished techniques, and the one that'll protect you the most in a confrontation. You being able to take control of someone and redirect them from you, or disable them, is just… invaluable. Whatever fear you have… we need to work on it. We need to do it before it gets you into danger."

Shikadai grit his teeth.

"...I just don't want to be in control of someone's life like that _again-._"

"_Again? _You've never done this before..." Then, Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"...Did something happen while I was gone…? Something… that you didn't want to tell me about?"

Shikadai fell silent, and tried to avert his eyes from his father. Shikamaru's frown increased, and he took a deep breath as his mind filled in the gaps.

"...Mirai did mention that you saved her life when you activated your wind nature…"

"… I did..." Shikadai's face couldn't look more guilty, and Shikamaru's eye turned knowingly.

"… I suppose-."

"I… I killed people Dad. I was… I felt really panicked and scared. They were going to kill her and then kidnap me… and I was… I was really really scared and I didn't want that to happen, not at all. So… I… I thought I was screaming but instead I… activated something? I felt…. Chakra I think… swirling all around me? I felt like I was on fire for a few minutes, then… then… nothing. Nothing at all. I opened my eyes and while Mirai was okay..." The boy's voice trailed off, and Shikamaru could notice that there were tears in his eyes now. Shikamaru gave the boy some time to continue speaking.

"...It was… terrible. I don't ever want to do that again… sorry-."

"You're going to have to in order to protect yourself. I told you, this world isn't going to be kind to you, at least not right now. And as you get older, if you don't learn how to defend yourself-."

"But do I have to kill them-."

"_**Yes, Shikadai.**_"

When he heard his father's voice raise, Shikadai instinctively lowered his head, still feeling very guilty about his past actions. Shikamaru's mood worsened, and he began to remember his own personal experience with the topic as he spoke to his son again.

"...Listen… I was barely older than you when I had my first kill. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't easy. And… no, it didn't feel good. Not at all… not at all. And really, it should _never begin to feel good, _because once it does, _you've lost your mind. _Killing another person… taking their life… or even taking control of their consciousness… it's never going to feel _comfortable. _But you need to get used to doing it. Because if you don't, _they will. _And a lot of the time, they wont hesitate just because you're a boy."

There was a short pause, and a deep sigh escaped from Shikamaru's lips before he spoke again.

"… I just don't want you to get hurt, son."

Shikadai found himself shuddering from his father's words, and Shikamaru let his statements resonate. He had meant every word, and while rough, they needed to be said. He couldn't afford for his son to grow up weak, and for him to get pushed around by the forces in the world. The world wouldn't be sympathetic to the child of the Butcher.

Shikadai eventually continued to eat his food, and there was a stretch of dinner that was entirely in silence. The two Nara men retreated into their feelings, and Shikamaru slowly reflected on what he would have to do in the morning, and prayed that the lessons and techniques that he had shown his son would be enough to protect him until he would be able to return. Mirai was still in the picture, yes, but eventually she wouldn't be. The boy was getting older… older…

But he was still very young, wasn't he? Not even ten yet. The words repeated in Shikamaru's head. His son was only ten, and yet he had pushed him throughout the entire week to prepare for _war._

When he was twelve_, _he was leading shinobi off to their deaths. Now he was almost forty, half – mad, and doing the same thing. Idly he wondered if his son would end up doing the same.

He placed both of his hands onto the table suddenly, and Shikadai paused eating.

"… You know… you've been doing a lot of great work this week," he began. "Progressing really fast. Faster than when I was your age."

"...Yeah. Thanks..." The disinterest in his voice was obvious, and Shikamaru re-asserted himself.

"… I'm not telling you to become a cold blooded murderer. Not like _me. _But-."

"I'll work on it."

"That's all I'm asking… and for the record. What you did, _accidentally or not, _it _saved Mirai's life. _Instead of focusing on the lives lost… focus on the lives _saved._"

Shikadai spent a few moments silent at this, and then nodded.

"...Soo… tomorrow you have to leave?"

"Yeah. This time I'm going with the Hokage, Lord Uchiha, and a bunch of other high ranking people. You don't have to worry about me getting-."

"No… No I wasn't. I'm just… it sucks when you're gone."

"I promise that we'll get to spend more time together once I get back."

"How long until then…?"

Shikamaru went silent for a moment.

"...To be entirely honest, about a week if things go right. If not… much, much longer." By now, the potential for Shikamaru dying was always on the mind, especially as the man stood in front of his son now, looking as if death had just missed it's mark. Shikadai nodded.

"...By the time you get back… I'll be able to do it. Then maybe we could spend more time… just hanging out? Liiikkkeeee…. By the time you get back they should still have that movie that you wanted to see in theaters."

Shikamaru raised his single remaining eyebrow.

"… _The Shogun's Game _is still in theaters after an entire year…?"

"It's a blockbuster, so yeah of course. So… would you be interested?"

Shikamaru paused again, and then found himself nodding slowly. All of the planning and warring he had been doing made him forget about the simple pleasures that did still exist in his world, other than Shogi and family.

"...Sure. We'll make it a date." Then, his lips curved into a smile.

"And besides, it'll be good for you to see a movie that shows you how to _really _play shogi-."

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying, maybe if you see _another _pro do it-."

"I'm going to beat you at it one day."

"Oh… wont that be troublesome?"

Father and son chuckled, then moved to finish eating their dinners. Shikamaru then moved to help Shikadai to his bed, took a few pills, and then had his first interrupted sleep for a long, long while.

In the morning, he made his son breakfast, and then he was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Before she died, Temari had been the one to wait on the front porch for Shikamaru to come home from war. With his mother gone, Shikadai hadn't wasted any time taking over her duties… or at least this one.

Shikamaru felt dejavu when he saw the silhouette on his porch, and he wouldn't deny that he felt a deep pain in his heart when he came closer and found that it wasn't his late wife. As usual, he was late getting home, and the sun was completely gone from the sky by the time he was even back in the Nara lands. Despite the disappointment he felt at the familiar scene being edited, he still had a bright smile on his face when he saw his son again, and embraced him in a deep hug when he was close enough, being sure to mess up the boy's hair as well. From what he had done on his trip, he knew that the time for such subtleties was fading away faster than he'd admit it.

When the two broke their hug, Shikadai pointed behind him.

"I put your dinner in the microwave already."

Another familiar statement. But…

"… You can cook now?" Shikamaru's lonely eye then looked at his home.

"… How is our house not on fire-."

"Oh no, I didn't make anything. I ordered pizza!"

"Right." Shikadai then began to lead his father back inside. Once the two were in the kitchen, he turned the microwave on, then sat his father down at their small table. When the food was warmed, he served it for him, being aware from their first encounter that the man was deeply tired, and possibly on the edge of his painkillers.

Shikamaru took a slice into his mouth, then smiled.

"Still good. Is this all you've been eating all week? Other than the stuff I made before?"

"Well no. Like, I ate your stuff, but then I ran out of it on Wednesday, so then I crashed over at Uncle Choji's for the last two nights. Then I came back today to make sure someone was there when you got home."

Shikamaru nodded. His son was becoming a thoughtful young man indeed.

"...Thanks."

"I missed you too, that was another reason. And I'm glad you're back on time this time..." Shikadai caught himself staring at his father's scars, and the older man struggled to keep the atmosphere light and happy.

"...Er… no new scars?"

"Yeah… that's a good thing..." As Shikadai watched his father eat, he began to drum his fingers on the table.

"How did things go at the negotiations?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "How did you know that I was at a negotiations meeting?"

"Oh… I overheard it from Mirai and the Sixth Hokage..."

"Hm, observant. Well… they went well. Everything's falling in place for a game-changing attack." Shikamaru's voice faded once he ate another slice of pizza.

"… I think… by the end of this month… yeah… I'll have to leave again. But I'll be around until then, you don't have to worry."

"I'm not," Shikadai lied, and he lowered his head into his hands. "I'm just… yeah. Curious I guess. I mean you mentioned that it's all coming to an end soon." Shikamaru nodded slowly, and he lowered a slice from his mouth.

"The upcoming battle that we're preparing for… If we can succeed with it, then yeah, we win. If we can't..." The silence spoke for him, and Shikadai's emotions began to intensify. His father was being blunt and elusive at the same time, and he didn't know how he felt about it. Since his father had returned from his year of absence, he had been open and transparent about certain things, but closed and distant about others. Notably, the boy remembered, as he watched his father's scars in the low lighting, and the right side of his face twitch as he ate, Shikamaru had been tight lipped about his own morality, and what had happened to him when he had been captured. Shikamaru was drinking some water when the conversation finally continued.

"… Then we lose?" A nod was his answer.

"What happens if we lose-."

"You don't have to worry about that, because I wont let that happen." The look on the boy's face persuaded Shikamaru to explain himself further.

"… We've enlisted help from another village. We have more information on their inner workings than ever before, and _I'm back. There's __**always **__a possibility for failure… _but with these odds and circumstances I don't see the point in considering what would happen if we fail-."

"But what _if-."_

"Fine. If you hear word that we've lost… then expect Sunagakure to invade in response. Considering who you are… they'll go for you first. So _hide. _If Saburo's not there, go to the Akimichi clan. If they're not around, go to the Yamanaka clan. If not, then _leave the village immediately, _and don't return until your uncles have left the village. It's important that you _stay away from them. _You and I have no idea what they have planned for you, and what their 'care' will entail..."

Shikadai gulped, and Shikamaru continued to chow down on the pizza in front of him, but this time his hands shook heavily. His son couldn't figure out if this was happening because of what he had said, or if his supply of pills was running low. Either way, it was late, and he would soon need to sleep.

"… I can't let them have you… which is why I'm going to be dealing with them _permanently this upcoming battle."_

_ "..._You'll be going with them?"

"Of course. I need to see my plans come to fruition, and Gaara and Kankuro are _my _marks."

"What are you going to do with them-."

"_**Kill them.**_" Shikamaru took a bite out of his pizza that was uncharacteristically big, and Shikadai was left shuddering. There was another uneasy silence in their kitchen, but this time the older man didn't break it, nor did he let it affect him much. He finished his pizza slices, and Shikadai wordlessly took his plate to put it in the sink, then returned to his father in time for the older man to stand up. Shikadai offered his hand, but Shikamaru balked.

"I can put myself to sleep," he snapped. Upon seeing his son's uneasy face, Shikamaru finally let the topic continue.

"… I know you're just trying to help. You're… worried about me, but you shouldn't be. Injured, dying, or otherwise, I'm still your _father. _I can take care of myself-."

"I don't think so, Dad." Shikadai then moved to stand directly in front of his father, gulping.

"...You've been different since… Mom died."

"People change as they get older-."

"And you only got worse when you returned from… wherever you were. You wont tell me."

Shikamaru rose an eyebrow at his last remark, but stayed silent to let his son continue.

"This is… troublesome but then you had to go to a hospital for a few months after. It's… You keep acting like you're fine but you're not. And now you're going to go out in the field again… when you can't even sleep properly without Ino's pills..." There was a pause, and Shikamaru slowly crossed his arms.

"… And now you say you're going out to kill my… Uncles? Everything's moving just… really really fast and..." The boy began to twiddle his fingers, his eyes pouring up into his father's cautiously, his worry pushing out and drowning the previously neutral emotions in the room. Shikadai was rarely at a loss for words nowadays, with all of the responsibilities of being a clan leader having almost been put on his shoulders, but now he was. Looking into his father's single remaining eye, after he had said everything that was going to happen…

"… Please… just don't die..." The tears that he had been suppressing throughout the past while began to show, and Shikamaru's hard stance slowly softened, until his hands came to embrace his son, and he knelt down. The tight hug that followed did nothing to soothe the boy's pain.

"You're just… always in and out and I'm… there's just so much going on. You're hardly even home anymore and now… now you're off again. And you're not taking your health serious-."

"Shh… you don't have to say anything else." Shikamaru's voice had become soft, and his hold on his son only intensified. Shikadai shook his head over and over again.

"… I just… I don't want you to die..." "_Can't you stay here? Is there any way for you to stay here? You're just the strategist; you shouldn't need to be on the front lines all the time..." _There was so much else that Shikadai wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to, not right now, and not in front of the father whom he felt wouldn't understand.

But that was far from the truth. Soon, Shikamaru felt his own eyes well up as he remembered his own pain towards the situation.

In truth, if he could fighting now… he _still couldn't. _The cards had already been dealt, and the shogi pieces moved, the bets placed. He had lost _ten _years of his life, all of them had lost ten years of his life. Shikadai had never known what it was like to grow up without war, and his _wife _had never known a honeymoon, or a truly peaceful evening. _He _had never been able to fulfill his life's dream; a son, a daughter, a beautiful wife and a peaceful life. Now here he was; half blind, half deaf, scarred, weak, a wife murdered by her own brothers, and a crying son who had no real future in front of him if he fell in the upcoming battle. And there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

He had to fight. If he died, then _he would have to accept that. _He _had to fight, for the chance that one day he wouldn't have to fight anymore… _In the meantime, he would leave behind crying children and…

He had to take his mind off of it. The truth of his situation was making him cry too much now, and he was far too old to cry. Nearly forty, a married man with a child. He took a deep breath, and rubbed the back of Shikadai's head.

"… I must…. I have to do what I have to do, son. I'm a _shinobi. _This is the… this is the life and these are the responsibilities of a _ninja. _I have to do them, now and for the rest of my life. There are some things in this life… God Shikadai please… no more tears. They… aren't going to fix anything. We need to keep doing what… _I need to keep fighting. _I can't give up and go to the back of the line, or stay in the village. This war is as much mine as it is the rest of the village's'."

Even as Shikamaru finished his piece, he could feel his heart lower, and his efforts soon went towards comforting his son first and foremost. He and Shikadai spent the next few minutes in a cosy embrace, and then Shikamaru lifted Shikadai up, and began to carry him to his bedroom. Once there, as if his son were still a toddler, he placed him onto the bed, and then turned to leave without another word, feeling the silence between them and his previous explanations to be good enough.

"...Don't…"

"I'll see you in the morning son. We both should… focus on getting stronger. You should try and ease yourself into Shadow Possession… I should be around to help for at least the next few weeks. And I'll-."

"_Do I have a choice?"_

Shikamaru blinked, then answered truthfully.

"… Not in this world-."

"Did _you _have a choice?"

This time the voice sounded like a chorus, and Shikamaru shivered as he saw a vision in front of him. Shikadai was suddenly five years older, and sitting on the foot of his bed was his wife, dressed in the same kimono that she had worn for their wedding. Her face was a blank slate, and Shikamaru shuddered.

He didn't answer the question.

"… Love you kid. Get some rest… and we should also look into seeing that movie soon..."

He closed the door.

_No._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Shady Shinobi was the hottest restaurant in Sunagakure. But tonight it was empty, the entire place being reserved for a small group of four, and the only group of four that had the power and influence to be able to pull off such a thing; Gaara, Matsuri, Kankuro, and Shiori

They were situated at the largest booth in the restaurant, and by this time in the dinner there was a large spread placed out in front of them. They had been there for at least an hour, but the dinner was far from over, with the small family wanting nothing to do but to continue to rest and relax, the war, their duties and their obligations far from their minds until the day would end. It being months since his release, Kankuro's conversations could finally stop being about what he missed, and instead what was coming up. More birthdays, more parties and relaxing…

And preferably, a better prosthetic leg.

He didn't exactly _hate _the one that he had now, but with every step and kick Kankuro found himself missing the one that he had lost the last time he was in Konohagakure. It had become the topic of the conversation unwillingly, and despite insisting that he didn't _hate _it, he sure could whine about it to his heart's content.

"It's complete bul- I mean… crud. It's crud. I don't understand how people can use these things! It's a waste of chakra too; what happens if I get into a battle and I run out because I was using some of it for my fucking leg? Seriously."

Shiori initially found it insulting that her husband would spend so much time complaining about her craftsmanship, but soon found it more amusing to tease him.

"Aww… well you know, if you can't battle anymore, you could always be kicked up to a _strategist."_

_ "Bullshit. _You know I'm horrible with tactics!"

"Oh, I have a better idea! You could finally be like the man you've been copying your entire life, like _Sasori!" _

"And join a band of idiots and run around in a desert, killing my former comrades?"

"The best part about it is that you get to nearly kill your new fans when you meet them!"

Kankuro placed a hand to his chin.

"Tempting… tempting. Fans and young shinobi _are _annoying-."

"Hey," Gaara warned, trying to get into the banter. "Be nice. We were all young once, and we need young shinobi."

"Yeah, maybe. But they're too soft nowadays! And the elders called us soft, remember that? At least we still got actual ninja training, am I right? Nowdays… what do they even teach at the academy? Do they even teach you how to breathe in a sandstorm? How to survive on a drop of water a day?"

Gaara playfully narrowed his eyes.

"I'd say what they teach is an improvement."

"Bah!"

"At least they don't teach them _that running around in the desert wearing Black is a good idea._"

At this, both Shiori and Matsuri began to loud hard, while Kankuro blushed, trying to defend himself.

"Come on, it was hot fashion!"

"Oh, I'm sure it was _hot._"

"Give me a break! And hey, didn't you wear black back then too? You had that stupid freaking get up, with the like black clothing and that giant gourd! Dumbest thing I've ever seen."

"You had cat ears."

"Alright, but I looked hot-."

"No, but you _were hot._"

"I looked better than Temari-."

Suddenly, the light banter went away, and was replaced with a silence. Kankuro's mouth stopped it's jabbering, and, upon the mention of his sister's name, he slowly began to shove it full of food. Beside him, Shiori reached out to tap his shoulder for a more modest comfort, before returning to her own meal. Gaara followed the lead of his older brother, and Matsuri joined him.

They hated the silence. Lately, it always came after the mention of their late sister's name.

The two of them could almost visualize her being there with them, sharing in their family dinner. They could see her with her Sunan husband, maybe a kid or two, and her signature long black kimono. She'd joke and laugh with them then, mostly teasing them about her many, many achievements and awards over them, but she'd eventually give them praise for what they had done. Protecting their village; that's all that the three of them had ever wanted to do, but they'd be dammed if they weren't going to brag to each other about how great they were at it.

But… that wasn't how reality turned out. Ten years away, now dead. Now everything was ruined. Half their family was in a hostile village. Why was that? The table they ate at should have had two more seats; Temari and her husband. They all would have succeed where their parents failed; married, peaceful, their own children growing up with _both _of their parents, a prosperous village and a gracious future.

But that's not how reality turned out.

Having been the one to ruin the atmosphere, Kankuro eventually felt that it was his duty to liven it up again.

"...So… how 'bout that new Killer Bee album, huh?"

Almost immediately, Matsuri stuck out her tongue.

"Why is he even popular!? I feel horrible for saying this, but I wish they were part of the war too. Then maybe he wouldn't have had the time to commit such audio _atrocity._"

"Atrocity? Listen sis; Bee is a _poet laureate. _His words speak to the people, man."

"His words give me a headache. And the production on his newest album is terrible. Before I could at least mute him and listen to the instrumentals, but did his old partner leave or something? Or die? Did he die? If not he has an obligation to return. DJ Lighting is _trash._"

As their back and forth continued, Gaara began to sweat. Not just because of the opinions being spewed; he too felt that Killer Bee should've stuck to being a Jinchuuriki, but because he was struggling at figuring out the right words to say, and when. The memory of Temari and his idealized version of her had struck his mind hard, and reminded him of another reason why he had come here today, and why he had brought Matsuri along.

After all she had seen of him… and after getting his brother back… his life was on a good path, and he felt a good omen had been placed in the air. And he knew that he had to make use of it before the war returned to his family, and the bad resumed.

The group continued to talk lightly for the next few tens of minutes, with their waiters and waitresses enter and leaving the fray. Soon it became apparent that Gaara would have to dig into some of his savings to afford Kankuro and Shiori's shared appetite, but he didn't mind it. He just kept grasping what was in his pockets, and kept sharing uneven glances with Matsuri.

That was, until Matsuri excused herself to head to the washroom. She was excused. Gaara followed after her, attempting to do so wordlessly, before his brother made a jeer.

"Aww… aww look a that! Are even your bladders connected together? D'aww… D'aww you two are so adorable! So cute!"

Gaara couldn't tell if his brother was drunk from the copious amounts of sake he had drunk on this night, or if he was simply choosing to be a pest. Either way, the Kazekage followed his girlfriend to the washroom, but waited outside. When she was finished and before she could head back to her seat, the two intersected, with Gaara's face was red as his hair.

"Um… Matsuri? Can I… Can I speak to you alone for a minute?"

Matsuri blinked.

"Well we're alone here. Go ahead."

"Oh no… I mean.. on the balcony. Can we do so on the balcony?"

"Um… sure…?"

The two quickly moved to the balcony together, which was deserted as the rest of the restaurant, and which… wasn't the way that Gaara would have preferred it to look. He wanted the scene to be more… romantic… for what he was about to do. He sighed once he reached a spot by the balcony that gave them a good view of the village below, and an even greater view of the white stars that dotted the desert's sky.

Gaara had been holding her hand to get her to stand in front of him, and in the best looking spot in the area. He then released her hands, and brushed whatever dust that was on him, while causing his own mind to race for the words to say now. The two were alone like he had wanted it, and now the two were close enough for what he wanted to say to be effective. He sucked in a breath, and then looked up at her again…

And nearly collapsed from her beauty.

Matsuri hadn't dressed up too much for this outing, but she still stunned her boyfriend nevertheless. She was wearing a simple brown kimono, and her soft eyes rested on him with a growing confusion. But she looked so _good_. Her hair was still cut short, as it had been all those years ago, but it had smoothed and evened itself over the years, making her even more beautiful than she had been when he first laid eyes on her. She had no make up on her face; like a traditional shinobi woman, yet her skin was still clean and smooth, and-.

"Gaara? What's up…?"

The might Kazekage trembled, then blinked, then tried to play it cool. He reached a hand behind his head, and let out an awkward chuckle. In his mind, he rationalized his nervousness. This must have been the way that his father felt when he had done the same with his mother. Or the same way that his grandfather had felt. Or maybe the same way his mother's grandfather had felt. He took a deep gulp, and reminded himself of his goal, of his purpose. Of what he wanted. Of what he needed. Of what he needed to do.

And then he fell onto one knee, and quickly reached into his pocket. Compared to her, he felt as if he was wearing nothing; barely a dinner suit, with a pocket large enough to hold the small box that he produced from it quickly. He then placed it into his hands, and lifted it up to her. She gasped, and then placed a hand onto her heart.

"…."

It took him a while to remember to open the box to reveal the ring he had picked out for her. And then, he recited the words that he had practiced for so many times into an empty mirror.

"Matsuri… I… I… been there… Matsuri I..."

The words failed to come to him, and he felt tears dwell into his eyes in frustration. He tried over and over again to say the words that were clear in his mind.

"Matsuri I… always… you were always… Matsuri I… I… I I I..."

He felt as if he were a child again, trying out words he couldn't say.

"Mat.." He finally bit his lip and took in a breath

"_**Matsuri I love you! And I just… can… this time… I… I want to- I want to marry you! **__**You've always been there for me! And you've… you've been helping me so much and… I… I love you Matsuri and I want to… I want to marry you I've… I've picked out a date a place I just want… I want to know that you're still with me! Because I've been angry… but I don't want to be angry anymore I just want to… I want to be **__**able to protect you! I want to make you happy… I want to make you so happy! The way you've been doing with me! I… Matsuri I-."**_

_** "I do… Oh God Gaara I...**__**" **_

__The tears were welling up in both of their eyes, and Matsuri quickly fell down with her new fiance to embrace him. The two then entered a kiss, and they stayed on the balcony for a long while.

"… I do… I do… I do..." Each kiss interspersed with a promise, or a plea. "I'll take care of you like you did me… I'll protect you!" Each touch full of love. Each hold overflowing with promise and care...

The war was the furthest thing from their minds. Even when they finally returned inside, and announced their news to the rest of the party, with Shiori welcoming Matsuri to the family and Kankuro clapping his brother on the back and giving him some advice on being a good husband, the war still kept it's distance. It knew it's place.

But the war was a very, very selfish entity. If it didn't get attention, it would _take it._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_One week later…_

Naruto and Killer Bee stood across from each other for a good twelve seconds, before the both of them fist bumped each other, and began to engage in a spontaneous and brand new handshake. Their minds felt as if they were molding together as their movements synchronized, a hi five, then another fist bump, then a behind the back high five, then a hip bump, then a chest bump, then-.

_** "FOR FUCK'S SAKE YOU TWO ACT YOUR AGES."**_

Both Naruto and Bee turned around to see C standing behind them, his arms folded and his face into a heavy frown. Meanwhile, Shikamaru, who was in the same room as them, allowed himself to chuckle lightly at the spectacle.

The Hidden Cloud Village had arrived in Konohagakure.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Thank you as always for reading, and please leave a review if you can!_


	57. Plot

_**AN: I ended up finishing this chapter at 2:45am when I had other assignments due in the morning. Oh well. This is why I can't update as often as I wanted to, haha.**_

**Anyways, just as another correction, and I know these corrections are getting annoying. I don't count Sasuke hiden as Canon, because in this timeline Sasuke never left Konoha after the war, and instead stayed to help rebuild Konoha, and atoned by restarting and fixing the police force. Just an fyi.**

**Also some people are going to love this chapter, and others are going to hate it. Oh well. Here we go. It's pretty long.**

_**NOTE: I do not own Naruto.**_

"… So we're all in then?" Shikamaru nodded, and poured himself some water to drink.

"It's necessary. Most shinobi are going. And… we're some of the best the village has to offer, the best of our generation. For this attack to work, it's necessary that we're all out."

Shikamaru then sat himself down his chair. He was there, along with the rest of the best of his generation, in a bunker that Naruto had been able to loan him. With all the foreign shinobi movement in the village, they needed to maintain at least some secrecy. For safety's sake.

The table was long, and Shikamaru sat at an end, next to Sakura, who was next to Naruto, who sat at the end of the table. On his other side sat Sasuke, and then the rest of the table proceeded. Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka, Sai Yamanaka, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Rock Lee and Tenten were also in attendance. Despite the audience however, there were several extra seats, and Shikamaru couldn't help but to remember that Neij used to be a part of their number. Neji Hyuuga. Another person that he had lost to the wars and missions of his life. Idly, whilst rolling a marble in his hands, he wondered what the man would have been up to now. Would he have had children like most of the members in attendance? Would he have become a teacher? His Taijutsu was second only to Lee's, after all.

"Pfft. It's good to see you again too, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru blinked, and then turned to the only man who would've said something like that at a meeting as serious as this. Kiba. He reflected on his status now, as a man touching forty years old. He looked the most youthful out of the group (likely to Lee's dismay), and that had much to do with the fact that he didn't have any children, he wasn't in charge of his clan, and the fact that… well… Kiba was Kiba. The only other major responsibility that he had outside of being a ninja was a cat and dog kennel owned by him and his longtime girlfriend; Tamaki.

After a few seconds of feeling him stare at him, Kiba's look turned into a bright smile, and Shikamaru couldn't help but give a smile back. Almost as if he was included in the gesture, the small pup in Kiba's lap, Ichi, barked in response. Right. Shikamaru remembered. Kiba _had _gone through pain during the war; when Akamaru had finally died of old age. The man had gone through it then, but with the support of his woman and his friends, he had made a fine recovery. And, at the very least Akamaru left him with puppies. Shikamaru couldn't help but draw parallels.

"Good to see you again too, Kiba. How's things been going?"

"Pretty alright. Missions have been steady, although I'm not sure if that's a good thing. Oh, and welcome back man! Although I wonder if that's premature of me since you're about to send us all off to die!"

Shikamaru shivered, but Kiba began to laugh manically nonetheless. Then, when no one laughed along with him, he stopped, and frowned.

"I'm just being honest-."

"Oh please, we are not all going to die," Rock Lee interjected. Shikamaru's eyes traveled to him, and he reflected on him as well. He was still hale and healthy, but there were a few wrinkles developing near his signature haircut, and the way that he walked nowadays implied that he had permanently damaged some of his muscles, possibly from all his training. Rock Lee hadn't lost much during the war, except for his friend Gaara, and could have been usually found on missions, training, or helping out Tenten in her weapon's supply store. He too unmarried, but he did have a little clone who followed him around, although he never explained if Metal Lee was his _biological _son, or adopted. Either way, Shikamaru secretly dreaded the day that his son would have to go up against Lee's .

"It is like Shikamaru said; we are all the best of our generation! Have some faith-."

"I was joking."

"...Oh."

"How are you worse at this than Sai is?"

"Hey, hey. Easy now… _Doggy_."

Shikamaru's eyes turned to Sai, who was now laughing at the _still _ridiculous nickname that he had for Kiba. A quick reflection was all that was needed; he had grown closer to Sai than many of the others, considering his position as Ino's husband. He was aging, but barely; there were a few wrinkles around his eyes and a stubble around his mouth that he seemed to be refusing to grow out properly. His marriage with Ino seemed to be peaceful and positive, similar to Shikamaru's own marriage, and Inojin was turning out to be an excellent heir.

"Who're ya' callin' a doggy?!"

"I thought you loved dogs?"

"I do."

"Then why are you irritated?"

"Guh! … I don't know."

"Want to know why I'm amused? It's because of Kiba's frustration."

"Thanks for that, Shino. You never change."

"No problem."

Shikamaru was left reflecting on Shino, who was also Shikadai's academy teacher. Like Iruka before him, he was relatively free of stress- well, aside from the stress that being a school teacher would entail. He looked about his age, and came off in this meeting as relaxed, despite the upcoming circumstances. This was probably the result of many things; a theory was that it was due to the influence of Shino's husband, Kai. Kai seemed to have been a good influence on Shino's life; since the two had met the man was more assertive and focused, and even after ten years of marriage the two still supported each other. Shikadai had told his father about how Kai would wait outside of the academy gates everyday for his man, and how he would be quite friendly to the schoolchildren while he was there as well, and was always one to give small pointers to improve their game.

Shikamaru then sighed. Alas, the war had taken a toll on everyone in the room, but they at least were all now much happier as adults than they had been as children. Naruto had gone from the village's loser to the village's Hero, Sasuke went from being abandoned and hated by the village to being a great contributor to it. Sakura had went from being an annoying (by Shikamaru's standards at least) to being a powerful shinobi with her own hospital. Hinata had went from a shirking violet into the wife of a ruler, and Tenten had went from a regular shinobi into a rather successful businesswoman. He didn't need to reflect on the others; their transformations had went too well. And now here they all were, catching up to each other's lives, and preparing for the final battle. He could feel the tension that was in the air, this might be the mission to lower their number after all, but he took a deep breath and began. He was sure that they would come to accept it. They each had at least twenty years of experience; they all knew the deal by now.

He looked each of them over again, and then sighed. It still didn't make things much easier, however.

"Alright guys, we have to get to business sometime today, it's troublesome I know but-."

"Aww look at you! Almost forty and still with your favorite catchphrase and everything. It's almost as if you-."

"_Kiba._" Shikamaru's voice was like a dog's. Finally, the Inuzuka man backed down, chuckling, and Shikamaru took a deep breath.

"Anyways, while I would love to sit and catch up with you all, that's not why I called this meeting. Essentially, I have to brief you all on what your positions will be during the siege, and procedures for if things go wrong, and such and such. While I have no intention of making this a easy battle to lose, and after all we _are _going all out, there's always a chance of Sunagakure somehow being able to repel us. If so, the procedure would be… to retreat in a way where the younger and less experienced shinobi are able to escape first. But… such a retreat wont be a likely thing. What I meant to say is, it's more likely that you'll all be ordered to _die fighting _than to back down..."

He felt the room go deadly silent, and he looked around into each of his friends' eyes. They all in the room had a reason to keep on living; from their spouses to their children to their clans. But, what he saw in their eyes instead of fear was a deadly determination. This made him pleased, and he continued.

"...But let's get onto ways that we can _win _this. First off, while everyone in this room should be more than enough, Naruto and I have been scouring the lists of ninja worldwide, and there are still quite a few of them that, while being 'neutral', might pose a threat to us if they ever decide to become 'active' on the other side of the war. To cut to the chase, there's someone in this ro- Enough beating around the bush. Sasuke. Before we head out, do you think you could track down Suigetsu, Karin and Jugo and bring them over to our side?"

At this, Sasuke's eyes immediately widened, and his breath hitched. And the room's uneasy quiet ended with questions.

"...Woah, wait a minute. Why would we need _them _on our side?"

The voice wasn't Sasuke's. Instead, Shikamaru raised his head to look at Kiba again. Shikamaru frowned.

"Don't complain-."

"I'm not complaining… it just seems weird. They've been pretty reliable with being neutral this entire time… why drag them into it now?"

"There's that chance that they could get involved, and while earlier in the war it might not have been too drastic, this mission is already perilous enough without three _powerful wild cards_ potentially joining the other side. Besides, we still need to remember that we'll have a world to live in after this war's done. The more help we get from shinobi not from our village, the greater chance it will be that the international community will see our village as truly innocent."

Kiba took the information down, and didn't debate it. By the time Shikamaru had turned back to Sasuke, he noticed that the man was now leaned back, and his hands were together on the elbows of the chair. He took a few more moments to think, a distressed look on his handsome features, before he spoke again.

"… They hate the leaf village, Shikamaru."

"I know that, but-."

"No… you don't remember it well. They don't just hate our _village, _they hate our entire _system. _I doubt they'll even join _their _side to spite us."

Shikamaru paused, and then felt a minor headache arising. The thing was, from what he could remember of the three ninja, Sasuke was far from lying.

… Not that he cared about what Sasuke thought about the situation. Even with the backing of Kumogakure, their village would need all the hands that they could get.

"...Li-."

"Fine, I'll go get them. But it'll take me at least a week, and I have no idea if they'll even be in battle-ready condition."

"We'll handle that hurdle when we get to it." Shikamaru then turned to look ahead on the table, and took a deep breath.

"Now that that's out of the way, I'm going to summarize how the day of the battle will commence…." Shikamaru then went into a summarized account of his battle strategy, with each member of the table being silent as to be able to hear him properly. The strategy was simple; they'd avoid detection until certain targets were taken down, they'd aim for taking down the Kazekage's tower and the reservoir under the village, and they'd do so with as little _civilian_ causalities as possible, a change from Shikamaru's request for _little to no causalities _that had been common during the rest of the war. Each member at the table heard their part and nodded, and soon his explanation was over, and the room went silent until someone just had to ask the obvious question.

"… And what will happen to Gaara and Kankuro? You didn't mention-."

"_I'm going to kill them. __**By myself.**_"

He could feel the rest of the members at the table cringe, and specifically he saw Choji and Ino tense up, their eyes both narrowing at him. His tone and his attitude didn't change however. He had gone through this before. He was the one in the right, and no one else would be able to quite understand how things like this worked.

But they'd try. As always.

"Shikamaru that's a stupid idea and you know it." Slowly, Sai stood up in his chair, and began to ignore the look of warning that his wife was giving him. Shikamaru raised a brow at this.

"Right. Because _you're _the decorated general-."

"Even if this made sense _morally, _it doesn't make any sense in terms of logistics. Gaara's at least ten times stronger than everyone in this room save for Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. Do you _want _to die?"

Sound logic, but Shikamaru didn't want to hear it right now.

"What do you mean 'it doesn't make sense morally'?"

"Just what I said. So they kill your wife so you're going to kill them-."

"_They killed their own sister, _so yes. I've run out of mercy and patience for them."

As Sai said what he did next, Shikamaru reflexively downed more of his painkillers.

"That's not even what I'm referencing-."

"Then what are you refer- Oh, I know. 'If you kill them, the rest of their family will come back to get you', right? Then so be it. They'd never harm Shikadai, and I'm positive that I can handle whoever else comes for me."

"Even an entire village-."

"Sai, let it die."

Sai turned towards his wife, and then back to Shikamaru. Surprisingly, his face was the most distraught between the three of them.

"You're just going to let him do it-."

"_He's done it before, _and he's right." She let a pause come between her sentences, as she thought back to the times that she had spent with Kankuro in the dungeon.

"… He should be the one to deal with them. Supported by Choji and I. Just like old times, right?"

Shikamaru took a deep breath.

"…Ac-."

"I'm overriding this." Each person at the table turned their head to look at Naruto, who had finally decided to join the conversation in full.

"Like Sai said, you're just not strong enough to take on Gaara. And besides, I'll need to deal with him as well. You're not the only one here with history with him." There was a small pause.

"And I'll also be overriding what I know you're thinking, Shikamaru. During the battle, when it's time for you to fight Kankuro, _Choji and Ino _will be accompanying you. Just like old times." Noticing how dark the atmosphere in the room was getting, Naruto then gave his friend a genuine smile.

"We wouldn't want you losing an easy battle, would we?"

Shikamaru fell silent, and stayed that way, simply nodding in response. In all honestly however, he didn't care about what was said in his meeting other than the things that he said. It was what it was, after all. He would deal with the both of them personally and he would have to find a way. But for now, he would play along. If any of his friends got in the way it'd just be troublesome after all.

"… Right. I got it." He placed both of his hands on the table in front of him, and then noticed his hands begin to shake uncomfortably. He quickly stuffed his mouth full of more painkillers, not caring about how depraved he looked as he did so, and continued.

"… So does everyone…. Everyone have their roles in the upcoming battle understood?" Turn by turn, each and every one of the ninja in attendance nodded their heads solemnly, but Shikamaru couldn't help but focusing on Sai. He took the longest to understand, and his disobedience was strange. Nevertheless, he couldn't care. Of course Sai didn't understand the pressures of being a father and protecting one's family; he didn't even grow up with one.

Mentally, Shikamaru slapped himself, and he took more of his painkillers. That wasn't a kind thing to think at all. He rephrased his objection to his friend's husband, and then resumed the area around him. Choji quickly caught his glance and after Shikamaru announced that his meeting was over, the group of old comrades began to catch up on each other's lives. Rock Lee tried his hand at _intentional humor, _and the group laughed. Tenten announced a new discount that everyone would have at her store. Sakura told everyone about her new medical breakthroughs. And Shikamaru witnessed.

Even after the war talk was done, everyone who had attended this meeting still retained their humanity. Apart from himself, who, despite trying to get into the banter, couldn't help but continue to think about what he was going to do with Gaara and Kankuro.

When it finally came turn for him to announce what he had been up to lately, he fell silent. What _had _he been doing lately? At all of the other meetings that the group had had, he previously always had something to say. Even when they met up in the thick of the war, he always had a topic that wasn't just killing on his mind. 'Shikadai's done so and so lately.' 'There's a new replanted acre in the Nara forest now, and I helped out with it.' 'Me and the wife-.'

He took a deep breath.

"Well… I'm still alive."

What else could he really report?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Soon, it became evening, and the group began to exit the bunker. Despite the end of their formal conversation, Shikamaru found himself remembering something about an earlier request that he made, and he so he ended up taking Sasuke to the side before he could get away. In a smaller alleyway, and away from prying eyes, the two looked at each other, face to face.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked. Shikamaru stood a bit taller.

"… You know how earlier I asked you to bring Suigetsu, Jugo and Karin over to our side?" Sasuke nodded slowly, and the Nara clan leader continued.

"… If you can't get them to come over to our side, then-."

"Kill them? Yeah I know. Typical."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

" ' Typical?'"

"Ever since you got bac-." Before he could finish his own sentence, Sasuke shook his head.

"You've heard it before, I'm sure. And I'm also sure that you _don't care, as long as this war ends the way you want it to, huh?"_

Shikamaru grit his teeth. "You want the same."

"Right, you're right I do. But what's pissing me off is that this didn't used to be you. Yeah… I remember the guy who used to remind us to use a little mercy while we're out there on the battlefield, to spare as many people as possible and ignore those who 'didn't need to die that day'. But now here you are, telling me to kill off a few people who haven't done, and likely never will do shit to us, just because you're concerned about loose ends-."

"Fuck off Sasuke. Just do what I tell you."

"Wow, telling _me _to fuck off huh?" Sasuke just shook his head.

"You know who are some other loose ends that I left untouched? Kankuro and Gaara-."

"I don't have time for this. I'll leave in the morning." Sasuke then turned away from Shikamaru, and began to walk away.

"I'll deal with Team Taka _my way_."

Shikamaru found himself left in the alleyway, his emotions and ager getting the best of him, and not really appreciating having been called out the way that he was. He downed more painkillers, the itching on the right side of his skull becoming more pronounced, before he turned around to leave the alley as well, knowing that despite his anticipation, there were still things to be done before the battle happened. If Sasuke would leave to do his assigned duties today… he'd be back by the time Kumogakure's shinobi were properly trained for the war ahead of them.

Before he could leave the alley however, he had another visitor. Choji's silhouette appeared in front of him, and his shadow radiated against the fading sunlight behind him. Shikamaru walked closer until he could see his face, but unlike how it usually was, the man wasn't impressed. Just tired.

"What's up?" He said, in a tone that didn't invite more conversation. Choji shrugged, and when Shikamaru left the alley, he followed after him.

"Nothing. What's up with you?"

"Cut to the chase. I need to get home and get some stuff done. And tomorrow I need ot meet up with the Raikage and make sure that he's prepped for what's coming." Shikamaru paused, then shook his head. "This entire thing is giving me a giant headache."

"That's what I was going to ask you about. You're making sure you're resting properly, right?"

"Yeah. At least seven hours a night, just like Ino said."

"Eating right?" At this, Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"… Honestly I don't need you checking up on me. It's getting on my last nerves."

"Alright then. Then… tell me more about this plan you've got. You know, your plan of somehow taking down Kankuro and Gaara by yourself-."

"What's it to you?" At this, Choji's kind visage finally began to crack.

"What's it to me? You id- I'm trying to figure out the best way I can support you out there. You're acting as if this is going to be as easy as it was when you took out Hidan-."

"It probably will be. You don't have to follow me all the way home."

"No it wont. Hidan was much… much weaker than Kankuro and Gaara are now, and you'er much weaker now as well-."

"I've had enough of this Choji. I'll see you tomorrow."

Before the larger man could say anything more, Shikamaru had brushed past him, continuing to head back home. In his mind, he knew that his friend wasn't lying.

But he'd be damned if he let his fear for the upcoming battle show. He made sure to down enough painkillers before he headed to bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gaara of the Sand was having a very, _very _good day. And the fact that he was began to scare him.

Ever since he had proposed to Matsuri, their lives had become considerably better. Day to day tasks had went from being about the war, it's fronts and it's casualties to the wedding, it's appearances and it's intricacies. As it was now, Matsuri had excitedly dragged him all over Sunagakure everyday since his proposal, and right now, late evening on a Friday, was the only time that he had been able to find for himself. He was lying face down on a massage table that was situated on the top balcony of the Kazekage tower, and getting whatever kinks that he had left from the day of shopping and planning out as his masseuse ran his fingers up and down his back.

But he wasn't alone.

"I can tell you're still anxious about this," Kankuro said. He too was getting a massage, although his circumstances were more serious than Gaara's. He still had a lot of rehabilitation to do from his time in captivity, and getting his muscles relaxed helped the chakra flow to his missing leg. "Ey… ey little bro?" He then began to laugh to himself, and Gaara exhaled as his masseuse hit a critical nerve.

"Yes, yes I am. Well… it's a lot of things coming towards me at the same time. And it's not like… it's hard, you know? All of these things are happening to me personally… and yet the war's still right outside of our doors?"

"Well first off… keep the war at a distance and continue to focus on your wedding, alright? I mean… we've got those bastards where we want them, and they haven't made a move yet. We can keep an eye on it, but… come on man, this is your _wedding _that we're talking about. My baby brother's finally becoming a _man, _how about that?"

"Yeah….. but…"

"Come on man, be more enthusiastic. Forget about the war. Relax… relax and… rest for a bit for once, will you? Gosh you're always so busy! But then again I guess that's why you're the Kazekage and I'm not, right?"

He laughed to himself, but Gaara couldn't help but continue to feel a type of way.

"But-."

"Alright you two. Leave. It's time for the Kazekage and his Bro to have a brother to brother talk."

Quietly, the two masseuses removed their hands from their tenants backs, and then left the room wordlessly. When they were off the balcony, Kankuro leaned up from his table, and then looked Gaara in the eyes.

Gaara still tried to avoid his gaze.

"Um-."

"No ums. Listen… I'm going to get serious again, alright? Listen… okay… shit how do you even start these things?" Kankuro paused for a moment.

"… I feel like I'm talking into a camera. Okay, well… to relax…. Think about this. You love her right? Her being Matsuri?"

"Of course! Why else would I have proposed?"

"Then you need to start acting like it. And by that, I mean you need to start enjoying stuff like this. Planning your wedding. Obsessing over spending time with her. Beginning to put her above your other priorities. That's some of the things that happen when you fall in love… you know? It's normal. And like I said… we're not at a position in the war right now where your constant worrying is even warranted-."

"But we're still in a war-."

"Yeah, so? We've been fighting one for more than a decade one. And you and I both know that sometimes, when we do things just right, we get a lot of time in between big attacks. So… use that time to get married. Use that time to rest. I mean… I mean holy shit man, I for one can only imagine the shit that you've been put through when I was gone." Gaara thought on this for a few moments, before Kankuro finished off.

"… Alright how about this then, since you insist on being miserable. I'll personally check our front again, see if we can find any more intel. I'll check to make sure that our shinobi are in tip top of shape, and then I'll maybe see about hiring some _mercenaries _from outside the village, just to give you two some more peace of mind around your big day. Now… how does that sound?"

For a few moments, Gaara stood quiet and reflected. Then, still feeling a bit uneasy from how easy it was going to be for him to accept this…

"…Fine."

"Good. Now focus on your wedding and your life while I focus on the war for you." Then, Kankuro grinned widely, taking advantage of the fact that he hadn't been able to do so for such a long time.

"That's better. Now, later you can focus on becoming a married man, but for now let's get the masseuses back and get our backs straightened out, shall we? Then later you can let your big brother give you a quick rundown on what it really means to be a husband."

Silently, Kankuro hoped that this would make up for the information that he had unintentionally spilled. When their masseuses returned and Gaara and him were placed back onto their tables, he began to feel uncomfortably sweaty. Even as heh ad said those things, he couldn't be sure. Just how much was a shinobi supposed to love his wife? To the extent that Kankuro did? What about the village? What abo-.

The masseuse hit a nerve, and Kankuro let out a long groan. He'd stress himself out about it later. For now, like he had said earlier, he and his brother had time to rest. And they would do so, graciously.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Three Days Later…._

Hojo Village, a small village situated at the bottom of a mountain by a rushing stream, was one of the strangest places that Sasuke had ever travelled to. So strange, that the moment that he arrived there, he knew that his old teammates were very likely to be there.

As he walked down the main street, not even bothering to wear a disguise and not using stealth at all, he noticed several oddities in the tiny village. First of all, there weren't any shinobi in the village at all. In their time now, and especially as they were still in the Land of Fire, it was normal for even tiny villages to have at least one ninja to protect it. But either there were none, or the few that remained here were undetectable. Another oddity was the large number of children when compared to the number of adults. While there were still enough grownups around to run the stands, shops and boutiques that he walked past, he noticed that a lot of the pairs and groups who walked down the street were comprised of youngsters, and as he inspected, he noticed that a fair amount of them looked around Sarada's age. While his daughter would have been in shinobi school around that time, these ones seemed to be doing something different. He noticed some of them studying from textbooks, but looking at them from afar, they weren't part of the shinobi school curriculum, and the ones who weren't studying were simply running around, playing with each other and hanging out. In other words… the kids from this village, even at the age that they'd be genin in his…

The kids were… _kids_. How… interesting.

As he continued walking, he noticed that the final oddity was the fact that nobody seemed to cower before him, or even give him much elevated respect compared to others. Instead, even as he wore his Uchiha crest proudly on his chest, and even as his signature good looks poured into each person he spoke to for information, they didn't change. Instead, they seemed to regard him as either an equal, or a random and common traveler.

Even when he brought up his lineage in a conversation.

"Don't you know who I am?" He asked calmly, yet with a surprised and raised eyebrow. He had run into an older man who seemed to know more about the village than the other people, and children, that he had asked. He also seemed to have some sort of battle experience, with a giant scar that ran from his right forehead to the top of his left lip. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. Doesn't that ring a bell?"

To his surprised, the old man simply nodded once, and then smiled.

"Of course I do. You're the head of Konohgakure's Police force, and a close friend of our Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki." When Sasuke waited for him to address him less formally, the man didn't do so, and instead continued with his warmness.

"I suppose that you've come for the rehabilitation clinic then? Men of high status usually are."

Sasuke kept his brow raised. "Rehab clinic?"

"Well… yes. It's not as mainstream as we wish it was, but I assure you that everyone who's visited it has left with a peaceful mind. I hope I don't sound like a salesman, but some of the best parts of this town are those doctors, hands down." The old man then pointed at this scar.

"I served Iwagakure faithfully for decades, but during the 4th Shinobi war... well I was diagnosed with PTSD after an encounter with Madara Uchiha. The physical scars healed, but the mental ones didn't for a long, long time. The nightmares were vivid, and soon I was taken off active duty. More months passed and I was honorably discharged. That didn't help, and I just ended up wandering until I found this little place… what… fifteen years ago? And the doctors at the clinic here were able to sit me down and just… _heal _me. Doctor Nirak and Oguj were just so understanding and calm… I finally made a breakthrough, and I've been here ever since. And it was _free, _didn't cost me a thing." The man then paused, and took a deep breath in.

"If it worked for me, then it might work with you, Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke listened intently to the man's story, and found himself nodding along.

_…Nirak? Oguj? Ugh, idiots._

The man's story was touching, and he began to think of the benefits of being treated by such doctors, but….

"Sorry, I'm not here for a treatment. If you haven't heard, there's still a war to be fought."

"Fair enough."

"But I _do _need to speak with the two doctors. Could you direct me to where their clinic is?" The old man nodded, and then pointed to a position down the street and across a bridge that lead to the other side of the town.

"Down that street, at the very end, the concrete ends and it turns into a path. The path leads further into the forest, but ends with a series of two small houses. The doctors are usually available around this time, but I'd watch out for their bodyguard. He might be- actually for a man like you he's not that intimidating at all, but just look out for him."

Sasuke nodded, and then just double checked.

"… Does this bodyguard have white hair and carry a large sword?"

"Yes, exactly like that. Do you know him? And perhaps the other doctors as well?"

Sasuke closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath.

"… I think so."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay Ichiro, follow what I'm doing-."

"I'm trying Dr. Oguj, but it's not working!"

Sternly, the man seated across from the little boy crossed his arms. The two were in a small, white painted room, with a large window next to them, seated on comfortably cushions.

"You can do this, okay? I know you can."

"But it's not going wel-."

"_Calm down. _Listen, you've been doing everything else right. Don't get discouraged now, alright?"

The child gripped his fists, and the man in front of him nodded.

"Close your eyes, and try again. See it. Then _ignore it. _And you'll be happy again."

The child began to shake, but then looked Dr. Oguj in the eyes and followed his instructions afterwards. The Doctor kept his eyes on the boy, his hands dropping a tablet into a small glass of water to have it dissolve, and soon the child's temper began to visibly disappear. He saw the boy shake an especially vigorous motion once, and then the child opened his eyes again, but this time, he smiled.

"… I think I did it. I'm not thinking about it anymore…"

Dr. Oguj smiled, and then passed he boy the glass of water that he had tampered with.

"Here. Drink this, I've added your medication to it." When the boy followed his orders, the doctor leaned forwards, and patted his back.

"… You're probably never going to fully _forget _that that happened to you… but with this technique and this pill, you'll be able to get through it. And soon you won't even need the pill, because by then you'll be much, much stronger."

The boy nodded, and then moved forwards to hug the doctor.

"Thank you so much!"

Oguj spent a few moments in shock at the sudden increased touch, but soon moved back into the hug himself, keeping the boy nice and snugged by his rather huge physique. Eventually, he broke the hug, and then began to stand up.

"You did a great job today, and it was no problem at all. Most of what we did here was all _you, _not me. And if it helps… remember what I told you when we started? I used to be much… much worse at this than you are."

The boy nodded, and then stood up too.

"It's still fine that I stay here, right?"

"Of course! For as long as you need it, and once you're ready we can start looking for more permanent lodgings within the village proper."

"Okay… thanks again Mr. Dr. Oguj! Can I go play with my friends now?"

"Of course. Just… please remember to behave around Ustegius. He likes to _eat _little kids like you."

"Heheh, I doubt he can catch me!"

The boy then playfully ran out of the room, clearly in search of his friends. Oguj watched him leave, letting himself smile at the tranquility of the moment, in the singular moment that it was still there. He then turned himself around to look outside of the window, and saw his tranquility shattered.

The window in this room of the main house showed the backyard, a wondrous thing that hosted thousands of species of plants, a beehive and a small pond. It nicely blended in with the forest around them, and was quite picturesque.

Except for in this moment, the previously tranquil moment.

Because Dr. Oguj could see Ustegius standing there, his stance battle ready, and his giant, _stolen _sword pointed at-.

_….Fuck. Not now._

Dr. Oguj quickly ran out into the backyard, hoping that, for the first time in over a decade, that _he _would be the one able to stay calm.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Get the **fuck **out of here, Sasuke!"

The head of the Uchiha clan stood his ground, and looked down at the sword in front of him, unimpressed and his face stern as a hawk.

"… You know that I'm much more powerful than yo-."

"**I don't care. I don't care because I'd rather die here fighting you than to go through with whatever **_**bullshit**_** that you're thinking up."**

"…You haven't even heard my proposal yet-."

"I don't need to. Now I warned you once, twice, and this will be the third and final time. **Get the fuck off our property, and skip town."**

"Why do you assume that what I want is bad-."

"_**Because it always is! We've left those lives behind us! And we plan to leave them there-."**_

_** "**_Sui- Ustegius! What's going on?"

Sasuke heard a feminine voice, and prepared himself for when "Dr. Nirak" walked into the scene from her position inside one of the houses. Once she was standing right next to Ustegius, she froze, and looked upon him, finally, with the air of respect and fear that he was used to.

"…."

Her voice didn't come. Instead, Sasuke felt himself at odds with multiple emotions, emotions of unfulfilled anger, aggression, but also of understanding and love. He would make his introduction to her with a nod, and by extending a hand towards her.

"...It's me, Sasuke. Karin? Or do you go by Dr. _Nirak _now-"

"**Get out and leave us alone."**

He didn't do either, and simply stood there in the courtyard, waiting for the third member of the group to arrive. When he did, tall as he ever was, and dressed in a long, white lab coat, he began to feel a deep pressure on his neck.

On the inside, Jugo felt his emotions wirgle between back and forth. He closed his eyes, he saw _it, _then he ignored it. When he opened his eyes, it was his turn to address Sasuke.

"…You've gotten taller."

Sasuke nodded.

"… Suigetsu, Karin and Jugo. You three should get better pseudonyms."

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_An interesting chapter, isn't it? Well I hope you've liked it! Remember to R and R and I'll try to update sometime within the next month, or otherwise when I find the time to. _


End file.
